The Japanese army closely monitors the actions of the Chinese during maneuvers in the Pacific Ocean.
Japan’s Ministry of Defense said a Chinese WZ-7 military drone was flying near the islands of Okinawa and Miyakojima. Reuters writes about it.
The Chinese drone was spotted flying from the East China Sea towards the Pacific Ocean on January 1 and 2, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defense. It was recorded that the WZ-7 patrolled the coast of Japan for the first time, despite not entering the country’s airspace.
The WZ-7 Soaring Dragon is a high-altitude UAV with a configuration similar to Northrop Grumman’s American RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle. It is designed to conduct aerial reconnaissance and collect data on missile guidance. It was mass produced in China from 2015 to 2016 and upgraded in 2020. A rather large WZ-7 received two pairs of wings connected to each other. It is assumed that this design improves aerodynamics and simplifies the flight control mechanism.
Features of Drone WZ-7:
- Length: 14.33m
- Wingspan: 24.86 m
- Height: 5.41 m
- Powerplant: Guizhou WP-13 turbojet or unknown type engine
- Cruising speed: 750 km/h
- Maximum range: 7000 km
- Flight time: 10 hours
- Practical ceiling: 18 km
Japan has scrambled warplanes over the past two weeks, sending planes and warships to monitor the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning and five warships conducting naval maneuvers and flight operations in the Pacific. Japanese forces began to closely monitor PRC’s actions after a Chinese naval group, including missile destroyers, passed between the main Okinawa island and Miyakojima Island on December 16 from the East China Sea to the Western Pacific Ocean.
On December 25, the Chinese military sent 78 aircraft, UAVs and ships to Taiwan’s air defense zone, including a reconnaissance WZ-7. 47 aircraft crossed the central median of the Taiwan Strait and entered the recognition zone from the southwest.
In September, China showcased a new WZ-8 drone at the Changdong Air Show. The device received a jet engine the size of a small fighter jet, retractable landing gear and is capable of accelerating to 3700 km / h.
Source: Focus
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