New generation of homegrown drone completes maiden flight

Wing Loong ID, the latest model of the domestically developed Wing Loong Unmanned Aircraft System series, successfully completed its maiden flight in southwestern China on Sunday.

Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute (CADI), a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) in Southwest China's Sichuan province, developed the drone.

According to Li Yidong, chief designer of the Wing Loong series and vice chief designer of CADI, the Wing Loong ID is the first generation of improved reconnaissance-strike drones in China. "It will help enhance the influence of the Wing Long brand in the global military trade market, along with other products in the series," Li said.

The Wing Loong ID is a high-performance drone used for reconnaissance strikes that has long endurance and can function at medium-range altitudes. It weighs 400 kilograms, has a 17.5-meter wingspan, and can be equipped with four missiles. Compared to the first generation Wing Loong I, this new model comes with better capabilities and a more affordable price.

The new drone has improved carrying abilities and can fly as high as 22,966 feet above the ground, which makes it capable of obtaining high-resolution ground images with advanced synthetic aperture radar.

The Wing Loong ID can also play an important role in security, such as in intelligence acquisition, surveillance, aerial reconnaissance, counterterrorism, border patrols, and the fight against drug trafficking and smuggling.