Wing Loong also known as the Pterodactyl is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute (CADI), a division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Chengdu Wing Loong UCAV Role

The Wing Loong UCAV has the ability to perform combat operations and civil tasks such as disaster assessment, meteorological operations, and environmental protection.

A satellite communications antenna, mounted on the bulge at the top front surface of the fuselage, facilitates data transmission between the UAV and the ground control station.

The unmanned combat aerial vehicle can be armed with a variety of weapons including laser-guided bombs and missiles to attack and destroy air or ground-based targets.

Chengdu Wing Loong UCAV Armament

The weaponry options include AKD-10 air-to-surface anti-tank missile, BRMI-90 90mm guided rocket, FT-7/130 small 130kg bomb with planar wing, FT-9/50 50kg bomb for drones, FT-10/25 25kg bomb, GB-7/50 50kg precision-guided munition (PGM), and GB-4/100 PGM.

The Wing Loong UCAV is also equipped with synthetic aperture radar, laser designator, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera, as well as electronic countermeasures.

Chengdu Wing Loong UCAV performance

The Wing Loong has a maximum flight speed of 280km/h, can operate over a range of 4,000km, and fly up to a maximum height of approximately 5km.It can perform missions for more than 20 hours and can transmit data over a line of sight (LOS) range of 200km.