Chinese CASIC WJ-700 UAV makes maiden flight.

The maiden flight of WJ-700, a high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance integrated unmanned air vehicle (UAV) capable of surveillance and strike, was successfully conducted on January 11, according to its developer, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC). Guo Chaokai reports on China Military Online.

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CASIC WJ-700 UAV (Picture source: CASIC)

CASIC WJ series UAVs are developed by 3rd Academy Hiwing (or HW for short) of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), and this academy is also more commonly known as HiWING Mechanical and Electrical Technology Corp. At the 2018 Zhuhai Airshow, CASIC unveiled a medium-/high-altitude long-endurance (MALE/HALE) armed reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle named WJ-700 with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 3,500 kg and an endurance of up to 20 hours. It has four underwing hardpoints and can carry CM-102 anti-radiation missile, C-701, and C-705KD anti-ship missiles, but also land attack munition.

Adopting multiple advanced technologies, the WJ-700 UAV is in a leading position at home and internationally advanced in terms of key performance indicators such as flight time, range and payload, compared with UAVs of the same take-off weight.

Focusing on both domestic and international market needs in the next 5 to 10 years, the WJ-700is characterized by high altitude, high speed and high payload capability. It can perform a wide range of tasks on risky battlefields,including air-to-ground standoff strikes, air-to-surface precision strikes, as well as wide-area surveillance.

The CASIC WJ-700 is to go into combat with the completion of subsequent system-level tests and verifications.