China’s Wing Loong II Killer Drone Fires 5 Missiles in Single Sortie

The Wing Loong II unmanned aerial system (UAS) has hit five targets in succession with five different types of missiles in a single sortie, setting a new live firing record for Chinese UAS, its manufacturer, State-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said.

After multiple rounds of flight and firing tests, the Wing Loong II UAS has conducted firing tests with eight types of missiles and dozens of bombs, with a hit rate of 100 percent, the Xinhua News Agency reported, citing the State-owned aviation giant of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

The report did not say when and where the test took place or the target involved.

"Successful tests over different terrains with different types of missiles and bombs showed that the Wing Loong II is equipped to effectively handle combat operations," Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times.

The record of "five hits in succession" performed by the Wing Loong II UAS, reconnaissance-strike unmanned aerial system (UAS), showed that the system equipped drone is combat-capable and will be widely used in future military actions, said Song Zhongping.

The Wing Loong II will be deployed in China's future military actions, especially in anti-terrorism, peace keeping and border patrol operations, said Song.

The Wing Loong II UAS is a long range reconnaissance-strike-integrated UAS developed by AVIC's Chengdu Aircraft Design & Research Institute (CADI).

According to CADI, within 10 months of its maiden flight [in February 2017], multiple live-fire tests had been conducted, including stationary targets, moving targets, time sensitive targets and air-to-ground coordination.

China is betting big on on UAVs both for domestic use and exports. It recently displayed a whole range of attack and reconnaissance drones at the Dubai airshow 2017.

AVIC said to have obtained a large order for the Wing Loong II from a Middle-East customer.