MAKS 2019: Avic displays Wing Loong MALE UAVs.

Having taken part in the biennial Russian air show for many years, China is the country partner for the event this year. It is the first time the Russian air show has invited a foreign nation to be a country partner. Avic company displayed, amongst other products, the Wing loongfamily on the static display. 

Wing Loong I (Picture source: Air Recognition)

The Wing Loong I UAS has been developed as an integrated multipurpose UAS for medium-altitude flying and HALE reconnaissance and combat by Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute (CADI) and AVIC in response to international market demands.

Development of the unmanned aerial vehicle began in 2005 and the first test flight was conducted in 2009. A prototype of the Wing Loong I was exhibited during the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition held in Zhuhai in 2010.

Some of the features of the Wing Loong I UAS include fully autonomic takeoff and landing capabilities, cruise flight, air-ground coordination and ground relay control. As a critical sub-system with multi-redundancy or backup configuration, it is equipped with an encrypted data link, user-friendly computer interface, all-round integrated logistic support system, loadable mature photoelectric detection equipment, electronic surveillance device and small scale space precision attack weapons, which enable long flight and ensure mission completions under complex environmental conditions.
Wing Loong I UAS is able to perform many operations such as battlefield intelligence acquisition line by line; surveillance and reconnaissance; timely fighting against small agile targets; electronic surveillance and executions for interference missions; anti-terrorism/riot monitoring missions; timely attacks or non-fatal deterrence; border patrol; anti-narcotics, anti-smuggling and other security tasks; complete resource surveys; pipeline patrol; disaster surveillance and evaluation; as well as other civilian missions.

Wing Loong II (Picture source: Air Recognition)

The Wing Loong II is an improved version of the Wing Loong 1 UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the category of MALE (Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance) designed and manufactured in China by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The Company unveiled the concept of Wing Loong II at the Aviation Expo China in Beijing in September 2015 and a prototype of the Wing Loong II was presented for the first time to the public during the Airshow China exhibition, held in Zhuhai from 1-6 November, 2016. It was also presented for the first time in Europe during the Paris Air Show in June 2017. Compared with Wing Loong I, the Wing Loong II has an optimized aerodynamic design, an improved airframe and upgraded airborne systems, featuring better capabilities in terms of flight, payload and information capacity, In March 2017, a prototype of the Wing Loong II conducted a 31- minute test flight from an unidentified airport in northwestern China. With its Wing Loong II, China would like to offer the new-generation reconnaissance/strike unmanned aerial vehicle on the international market. In March 2017, it was announced that China could deliver 300 Wing Loong II to Saudi Arabia.