China's Wing Loong-2: a multi-role UAV workhorse with an overseas advantage
Houthi positions along the shores of the Red Sea; from Pakistani sorties across the Iranian frontier to Libyan missiles in the civil war, one constant presence emerges – China's Wing Loong-2 (WL-2), showcasing the reach of Chinese drone technology across multiple conflict zones.
At the same time, a variant of the same platform –
the GJ-2 or 'Attack 2' – is conducting live-fire exercises around Taiwan and patrolling the
South China Sea , serving as the backbone of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) uncrewed reconnaissance and combat capabilities.
This medium-altitude, long-endurance reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was developed by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, a subsidiary of China's state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China. It was first unveiled at the 2016
Zhuhai air show , with its maiden flight the following year.
The WL-2 has been bought by buyers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia and deployed in multiple combat theatres, establishing itself as one of China's most commercially successful military drone exports.
Domestically, the system went into service in the PLA in 2018, designated as the GJ-2. The weapon, minus the winglets from the WL-2 prototype, made its debut at China's
2019 National Day military parade . Aside from military applications, the platform is also used for surveillance and communications in civilian disaster rescue operations.
The WL-2/GJ-2 is China's answer to the General Atomics MQ-9 drones from the United States. Its conventional aerodynamic design bears many similarities to the American
MQ-9 Reaper drone , including its dimensions: 11 metres (36 feet) long and 20.5 metres wide.
The aircraft's maximum take-off weight is 4,200kg (9,260 pounds) – almost 500kg lighter than the Reaper – but its external weapons payload capacity is much smaller at 480kg compared to the Reaper's 1,400kg.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Beijing summons Japanese diplomat over ‘Taiwan and Chinese citizens' safety'
Beijing has summoned a senior Japanese diplomat to express concerns over issues such as Taiwan , according to China's foreign ministry. Advertisement On Wednesday, Liu Jinsong, director general of the Department of Asian Affairs, summoned the chief minister of Japan's embassy in Beijing Akira Yokochi to express 'grave concern on issues including history, Taiwan and the safety of Chinese citizens in Japan,' the ministry said, without providing further details. The summons came in the run-up to a series of commemorations to mark the end of World War II, commonly known in China as the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression. Japan's wartime atrocities are a long-standing cause of tension between the two countries, while relations have also suffered as a result of rising nationalism and the ongoing territorial dispute over the Diaoyu Islands, known in Japan as the Senkakus. Last month, the foreign ministry issued another protest after Taiwanese foreign minister Lin Chia-lung made a rare visit to Japan. Beijing described that as sending a 'seriously wrong signal' and 'providing a platform for his anti-China separatist activities.' Advertisement Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China that must be reunited with the mainland, by force if necessary. In common with most countries, Japan does not formally recognise Taiwan as an independent state.
South China Morning Post
3 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Why is Taiwan's William Lai facing ‘extraordinary' Japanese media backlash?
An unprecedented wave of criticism from Japan's major newspapers against William Lai Ching-te has sparked debate over whether Tokyo is losing trust in the popularly elected Taiwanese leader just over a year into his term. The 'extraordinary' media backlash followed the failed July 26 mass recall vote targeting opposition lawmakers, which was initiated by Taiwan's civil groups but publicly endorsed by Lai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). The recall bid was roundly rejected by voters, with all 24 targeted lawmakers from the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT) retaining their seats. The results delivered a political blow to the Lai administration, dashing any DPP hopes of regaining a legislative majority and also drawing scrutiny from Japanese media – traditionally seen as friendly to Taiwan Japan's largest daily the Yomiuri Shimbun published a sharply worded editorial days later, dismissing the legitimacy of the recall campaign and accusing the DPP of trying to 'eliminate opposition parties'. The August 1 article, titled 'Taiwan holds recall vote, attempt to exclude opposition rejected', urged Lai to 'heal social rifts through dialogue rather than deepen partisan conflict' while concluding that his administration bore 'significant responsibility' for the debacle. 02:41 All 24 opposition Kuomintang lawmakers in Taiwan survive mass recall campaign All 24 opposition Kuomintang lawmakers in Taiwan survive mass recall campaign The editorial sent shock waves through Taiwan-watchers in Japan – but more was to follow.
RTHK
9 hours ago
- RTHK
Mixed views on sales at computer fair
Mixed views on sales at computer fair This year's Hong Kong Computer & Communications Festival will feature more than 200 local and overseas exhibitors. Photo: RTHK Vendors on Wednesday expressed mixed feelings about business prospects at the upcoming annual Hong Kong Computer & Communications Festival. The four-day fair, set to start on August 22 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, will feature more than 200 local and overseas exhibitors, which is about 100 fewer than last year. Lok Ki Ki, marketing manager of Winco, the city's sole distributor of products by American router company Netgear, said it is taking a cautious approach to this year's sales targets. 'We hope we can keep the same amount [of sales] like last year and hopefully it won't be dropping a lot,' she said. 'Well, in general, the economy is kind of dropping down and it's really a tough environment for us and especially for gadget items and industries.' The company plans to showcase more middle and entry-level products at its booth to boost sales, she added. Another booth operator echoed the same cautious outlook, predicting sales would be 20 percent lower than last year. 'It's really according to the reaction of the public. When there are new product launches in this year. Even when NVIDIA launched new graphic cards, the sales didn't bump up too much,' said Saaleh Hafeez, product manager of MSI, which mainly sells gaming laptops. 'And the other reason is that this year we don't have any good game titles. So previously when there are good titles coming out, people will tend to go and purchase new laptops. But this year we didn't see this trend.' Some firms, meanwhile, remain optimistic, including Belkin, an American company that sells consumer electronics products. Associate director of marketing Crystal Chu said they expect a 10 to 20 percent year-on-year sales increase. 'Because recently we found out that there are quite a lot of accidents in the market. Lots of battery packs got into accidents, like explosions,' she said. 'And we realise that it's a very good opportunity for us to educate the customer and to let them know that we have the safest power bank or battery pack in the world.' The company is so confident about sales, it has put extra money into securing a prime booth at the fair, Chu added. Good Century, an authorised distributor for American memory card and USB drive company Sandisk in Hong Kong and Macau, also anticipates a sales increase of about 10 percent. To boost sales, many vendors said they will offer promotions at the fair, such as price cuts of more than 50 percent on a limited number of products and 'buy more, spend less' deals. The Chamber of Hong Kong Computer Industry added that it has also introduced more diverse content to the fair to attract visitors from different age groups. Highlights include a forum on AI trends, an e-sports competition, and a meet-and-greet session with the popular Taiwan-based cheerleading group Rakuten Girls. Nintendo will set up a booth featuring a gaming experience zone where visitors can try its new Switch 2 console. This year's fair will support 22 electronic payment methods, including Octopus, PayMe and cryptocurrency. Standard admission tickets for the fair are set at HK$35, while entry is free for tourists, children under 1 metre tall, people aged over 65 and holders of disability cards.
