China News Service, November 13 (Reporter Diao Wei) Recently, the Air Force publicly demonstrated the Attack-11 "Xuanlong" stealth drone, and the former is just one of the many new members of the powerful domestic military drone family.
According to official information, there are currently no less than 10 models of mid-to-high-end UAVs that have been installed by the People's Liberation Army and have "names and surnames".
Among them, those that have been publicly unveiled in recent years and have more advanced performance include: "Hawkeye Brothers" No-Detection-7, No-Detection-8, and No-Detection-10, and "Three Blades" Attack-3A, Attack-11, and Attack-21.
No detection-7. Picture/Integrated media film "Quenching"
On November 12, footage of Wujian-7 carrying out a deterrence cruise mission to Scarborough Shoal was released for the first time.
It is reported that Wujian-7 is equipped with synthetic aperture radar, high-definition digital camera and infrared imaging equipment, and can perform all-weather and long-endurance reconnaissance and surveillance missions.
Military expert Du Wenlong said that the Wuzhen-7 can fly at an altitude of 20,000 meters. It had previously daunted the Japanese F-15J fighter jets that were tracking it, and could only barely capture the blurred figure of the former by shooting from above.
According to reports, with its unique diamond-shaped wing aerodynamic configuration, the Wujian-7 not only flies high, but also slows down, making it difficult for the following foreign aircraft to adapt to this slow pace, and may even fall into a stall state.
Wujian-8 is called a "near space aircraft." Near space refers to an area close to space at an altitude of 20 to 100 kilometers. With current technology, it is an air defense blind zone that "may be visible to radar, but cannot be reached by missiles."
According to the data, the Wujian-8 adopts a large-size swept delta wing layout and a liquid rocket engine. It is a strategic-level unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that integrates aerospace technology.
According to Wang Yunfei, a naval equipment expert, the Wujian-8 has the ability to penetrate defenses at high altitudes and at high speeds, quickly search and lock large maritime targets, and obtain high-definition image intelligence.
Du Wenlong said more thoroughly that Wujian-8 "can clearly locate where the opponent's aircraft carrier is and where important targets are hidden."
During the Zhuhai Air Show in 2024, a large drone that "attended the meeting alone" landed independently at Jinwan Airport. This is the Wujian-10, a new unmanned electronic reconnaissance aircraft independently developed by my country.
Wujian-10 mainly performs electronic reconnaissance missions. It can cruise at high altitude for 20 hours continuously outside the opponent's air defense firepower network, quietly detect radio signals, and accurately locate equipment deployment locations.
According to reports, Wujian-10 has flown around Taiwan to "investigate" the island's air defense system, military aircraft dispatch and radar data. If necessary, it can also implement powerful electronic interference from hundreds of kilometers away, turning the opponent's radar screen into a snowflake.
The People's Liberation Army's integrated surveillance and combat drone. Picture/China Military Network
As for the Attack-3A, it was always shrouded in mystery until the convergence media film "Winning" was aired this year. The outside world only knew that it was a long-range, long-endurance surveillance and attack drone.
In the film, Attack-3A rarely appears in the same frame as Wuzhen-7 and Wuzhen-10. They work closely together in high-sea drills and jointly perform sea reconnaissance and surveillance missions.
The three have a clear tactical division of labor: Wuzhen-7 searches for "needle in a haystack" in a wide area, Wuzhen-10 captures electromagnetic signals for precise positioning, and finally sends Attack-3A to take over and continue to track the target, ready to move forward at any time.
Compared with the above-mentioned "unique" drones, Attack-11 and Attack-21 are "twins" derived from the same platform. The former is a land-based type and the latter is a ship-based type.
Taking the Attack-11 as an example, aviation expert Fu Qianshao said that its omnidirectional stealth performance ranks among the top in the world, marking that the integrated surveillance and attack drone has entered the "jet + stealth" era and has strong battlefield survivability and penetration strike capabilities.
Military expert Chen Hu believes that the overall cost of Attack-11 and Attack-21 may only be equivalent to about 20% of that of manned fighters, and they are two "advantageous combat platforms" suitable for mass production.
The media quoted Air Force operators as saying that the Attack-11 integrated into the joint combat system can be transformed into the "sharpest sword" and play an important role in "kicking down the door in the first battle." (over)
