KADEX 2018: Kazakh Air and Air Defence Forces draw Wing Loong I MALE UAV.

In a rare move, the Kazakh Air and Air Defence Forces are showcasing one of its Chinese-made Wing-Loong I MALE Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at KADEX 2018, being held until May 26 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

A Kazakh Air and Air Defence Forces Wing Loong I UAV on the KADEX 2018 flight line

Kazakhstan purchased two Wing Loong I UAVs in 2016, with two more reportedly later added to the country's Air and Air Defence Forces inventory. They were publicly showcased for the first time at KADEX 2016. Other potential customers include Egypt, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Uzbekistan.

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.