Description
CAIG Wing Loong II is the second version of an unmanned combat aerial vehicle under the same name, with number I. It was first introduced in 2015 during Aviation Expo China in Beijing. The machine is able to achieve a long strike with a satellite link.
Develompent and operational history
While the concept was presented in 2015, the prototype itself was launched a year later, in 2016, during the Airshow China exhibition in Zhuhai. It's an upgraded variant of CAIG Wing Loong I with a wider wing span and length. Wings of the vehicle are equipped with hardpoints, which can be used to carry bombs, missiles or rockets.
It was used by United Arab Emirates in the Libyan civil war and most of them were destroyed during the military actions taken between opposing sides.
Operators
CAIG Wing Loong II was used by many countries, including China, Serbia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Libya, Nigeria, Egypt, Pakistan and United Arab Emirates.
General characteristics
The drone can carry no crew. It has 11 m of length, 4.1 m of height, 20.5 m of wingspan and the maximum takeoff weight of the vehicle is about 4200 kg.
Performance
CAIG Wing Loong II can achieve a maximum speed of 370 km/h and stall speed of 150 km/h. The endurance of the vehicle is destined to be 32 hours of uninterrupted flight. The service ceiling of the device is 9900 m.
Armament
The maximum armament of the drone is 480 kg. It can contain bombs (i.e. FT-10, FT-9 or GB7) and missiles (such as BA-7 or AKD-10). CAIG Wing Loong II is equipped with air to ground radars, GPS system to communicate, mentioned previously satellite link and electro-optical pod, containing infrared cameras and sensors.
