Chinese Wing Loong I UAVs for Indonesia.

By a contract signed in 2017, the Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Udara’s: TNI-AU’s) is enriching its arsenal with four Wing Loong I medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (MALE UAVs) manufactured by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

Chinese Wing-Loong I armed UAV at AirShow China 2014 in Zhuhai, China (Picture source: Army Recognition)

The Wing-Loong is also known as Chengdu Pterodactyl I. The Chinese armed forces currently employ UAVs in a wide range of missions, though the extent to which it does so, as well as its level of overall proficiency and integration are unclear.

This platform is capable of reconnaissance, surveillance, and meteorological operations. In 2014 at the AirShow China in Zhuhai, the Chinese Air Force display the Wing-Loong with its full range of weapon systems and optics showing its capabilities to conduct combat missions.

When entering the Indonesian Air Force, the four new drones will be operated by Squadron 51 (Skadron Udara 51) which is based near the city of Pontianak in West Kalimantan. The unit already operates Israeli-made Aerostar tactical unmanned aircraft system (UAS) for surveillance missions.