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Zhao Ziwen

The Chinese military has showcased reconnaissance WZ-7 drones and crewed fighter jets working together in a video highlighting the country’s growing aerial scouting capacity.
According to a retired People’s Liberation Army colonel, such coordination will improve strike capability against fast-moving targets, which is “a lesson that China has learned from the Ukraine war”.
The video is the first official footage of its kind and was aired on Sunday by state broadcaster CCTV.
The WZ-7 was seen carrying out oceanic reconnaissance missions, with a Xian H-6 jet bomber later launching anti-ship missiles based on the location data transmitted by the drone.
A large naval fleet with multiple vessels and some fighter jets – including electronic-warfare aircraft and the Shenyang J-16 multiple-role strike fighter – was also seen in the exercise footage.
The exact location and time of the drills were not given.
In the programme, PLA Air Force officer Li Zhengwei said that backed by the WZ-7, Chinese air forces could “burst into the enemy’s circle of fire”.
The reconnaissance drone can do “what manned aircraft cannot do” in terms of its “survivability, battle loss ratio, and cost-effectiveness”, according to Li.
He also said that with “upgraded equipment, algorithms, and intelligence acquisition capabilities”, the air force could use drones to “find and see [enemies] within hundreds of kilometres (hundreds of miles)” and acquire information in record time.


The WZ-7, dubbed “Xianglong” or Soaring Dragon, has an unusual tandem, joined-wing design and can be used for border reconnaissance and maritime patrol missions.
The high-altitude long-endurance drone debuted at the premier Zhuhai air show in 2021, and is one of China’s largest such aircraft – with a 24-metre (78 feet) wingspan and length of 14 metres. It is also seen as China’s answer to the US military’s Global Hawk surveillance drone.
WZ-7 spy drones were spotted by the US in the Taiwan Strait in 2019 and by Japan over waters between its southwestern Okinawa and Miyako Islands in January last year.
The PLA did not confirm either identification.
WZ-7s have also been spotted in China’s Tibet autonomous region bordering India, and Jilin province on the border with North Korea and Russia, as well as Hainan province, which overlooks the contested South China Sea.
Yue Gang, a retired PLA colonel, said combining reconnaissance drones with fighter jets allowed for better attacks on flexible wartime targets, by cutting the time lag between gathering information and launching an attack.
“The information-gathering methods through satellites do not have real-time capability, while through the cooperation of WZ-7 and crewed aircraft, it will be possible to strike the discovered targets immediately without giving the enemy time to react,” he said.
He said the PLA was likely to have learned from Russia’s difficulty in destroying the highly manoeuvrable MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile systems and M142 Himars light rocket launchers on the Ukrainian battlefield.
This may have spurred the PLA to seek to closely incorporate the WZ-7 into its fighter fleet, Yue said.

Yue added that unmanned reconnaissance aircraft had the attributes of commandos, as they could strike more accurately “deep into enemy fire”.
“With the drones in the fleet, it basically means the fighter jets are equipped with telescopes.”
Last year, a mainland Chinese military magazine highlighted the vital role drones would play in the event of a war across the Taiwan Strait.
The article in Ordnance Industry Science Technology said drones could be used to “assassinate enemy leaders” and that their use could minimise casualties by shortening the conflict. They could also be used to target Taiwan’s mobile missile launchers and heavy weaponry, it said.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. The United States, like most countries, does not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
The Pentagon last year unveiled plans to field thousands of drones by 2025, a programme analysts have called a significant move for possible conflicts in the Taiwan Strait where these could put pressure on Beijing.


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China’s military

China’s WZ-7 drone, bomber team up for drill as ‘Ukraine lesson learned’

The WZ-7 Soaring Dragon high-altitude reconnaissance drone is one of China’s largest such aircraft and can be used for border reconnaissance and maritime patrol missions. Photo: CCTV

A Xian H-6 jet launches a missile in this image of the military drill released by the Chinese government. Photo: CCTV

China’s GJ-11 stealth drone sightings hint at future role as fighter jet ‘wingmen’

China’s GJ-11 drone is showcased during Airshow China in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in September 2021. Photo: EPA-EFE

The GJ-11 combat drone appears in a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing in October 2019. Photo: Simon Song

China has reportedly tested a next-generation carrier-based fighter jet

A fighter jet takes off from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier in 2022. Photo: Japan Ministry of Defence

The carrier Liaoning fully loaded with aircraft during a training run in 2022. Photo: Weibo

China’s PLA found ‘shooting at drone swarms challenging’ in recent air defence drills

The combined use of electronic jamming systems, surface-to-air missiles and automatic rifles will be able to raise the hit rate against drone swarms, according to a military commentator. Photo: Handout

News

China

Military

CCTV airs first official footage of WZ-7 and bomber jet taking part in joint air attack during drills at undisclosed location


CCTV airs first official footage of WZ-7 and bomber jet taking part in joint air attack during drills at undisclosed location.
