PLA Chinese army uses WZ-8 supersonic drones to spy Taiwan and US bases.

US secret documents illegally posted online by Jack Teixeira, a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, reveal China used (or could use) WZ-8 supersonic spy drones that could fly 3 times the speed of sound, WaPo reports, echoed by Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert in Business Insider.

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WZ-8 supersonic drone at Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai (Picture source: Wikipedia)

The Washington Post first commented on the leaked secret documents, reportedly from the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. One of them includes what seems to be plans from the Chinese Ministry of Defense to upgrade its intelligence/surveillance capabilities with supersonic and even hypersonic reconnaissance drones. Taiwan is a major focus: China is intensifying its actions to "target American warships around Taiwan and military bases in the region."

Satellite imagery included in the documents, dated August 9, 2022, show two WZ-8 jet-propelled reconnaissance drones at an air base approximately 350 miles from Shanghai, the newspaper reported. These drone are capable of flying at altitudes of up to 15,000 meters, at three times the speed of sound, according to the documents — slightly slower than the SR-72 Blackbird, which Lockheed Martin claims reaches speeds of Mach 6, Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert writes. The WZ-8 drones could assist China in real-time mapping that would inform strategy or enable high-speed missile strikes in a future conflict, The Washington Post writes.

The WZ-8 drone, also known as the Sharp Sword, is reportedly being developed by China's Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute for reconnaissance and combat operations. The drone has a sleek, aerodynamic design, and its body is made of composite materials to reduce its radar signature. It has a wingspan of about 14 meters and a length of about 11 meters. The WZ-8 is equipped with a range of sensors and weapons, including electro-optical and infrared cameras, synthetic aperture radar (SAR), and a variety of guided missiles and bombs. Its advanced avionics system allows it to fly autonomously, navigate in complex environments, and perform complex mission tasks.

Its reconnaissance capabilities reportedly include electro-optical imaging, synthetic-aperture radar, and other sensors. Some have suggested the drone will be weaponized to provide strategic anti-access and area denial capabilities. The drone cannot take off under its own power, instead it is air-launched from a Xi'an H-6M mothership once the H-6 reaches a prescribed speed and altitude. The drone and its H-6 mothership are currently operated by the Eastern Theater Command Air Force out of Liu'an Airbase in Anhui province. The H-6M bombers are reported to belong to the 10th Bomber Division.

The WZ-8 drones were introduced in 2019 during the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, but few military analysts believed they were fully functional at the time, The Washington Post reported. The U.S. leaked documents reported on by the newspaper included flight paths for the drone, as well as the bomber plane used to launch the device.

China has moved its WZ-8s to Liu'an Airbase, in Dushan County, eastern China, the leaked documents show, in what is being seen as yet another sign of Beijing's readiness to launch an attack on Taiwan. Indeed, one of the documents analyzed by The Washington Post included satellite photos taken on August 9 which show two WZ-8s on an air base located in eastern China, about 350 miles inland from Shanghai. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency report says the Chinese army had 'almost certainly' established its first unmanned aerial vehicle unit at this base which is operated by the Eastern Theater Command, the branch of the Chinese military responsible for enforcing Beijing's sovereignty claims over Taiwan, Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert reports.