The Guizhou WZ-7 Soaring Dragon () is a

high-altitude long endurance Atmospheric satellite (United States usage, abbreviated atmosat) or pseudo-satellite (British usage) is a marketing term for an aircraft that operates in the atmosphere at high altitudes for extended periods of time, in order to provide servic ...

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controll ...

(UAV) from the People's Republic of China. The design uses a unique joined-wing design. The primary mission is expected to be

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including artillery spotting, the collection of im ...

, but it may also be fitted to provide targeting data for

anti-ship ballistic missile An anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) is a military ballistic missile system designed to hit a warship at sea. Due to the often hypersonic flight speed of ballistic missiles an ASBM's kinetic energy alone may be sufficient to cripple or outri ...

s and

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warh ...

Development

The WZ-7 was designed by the

Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group The Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) or Chengdu Aerospace Corporation (CAC), a subsidiary of AVIC, is a Chinese aerospace conglomerate that designs and manufactures combat aircraft and is also a manufacturer of aircraft parts. It was foun ...

and constructed by the

Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC) or Guizhou Aviation Aircraft Co Ltd (GAC) is a Chinese aircraft manufacturer and military aircraft based in Guiyang, Guizhou. It is a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The ...

. A model appeared at the 2006

China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () or Zhuhai Airshow (), is the largest airshow and aerospace trade expo in China. It has been held in even years in Zhuhai, Guangdong since 1996. Hist ...

. The first flight has not occurred as of 2011. The drone conducted

radar cross-section Radar cross-section (RCS), also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected. An object reflects a limited amount of radar energy back to the source. ...

testing. The WZ-7 entered serial production in 2015 to 2016. A complete redesign of WZ-7 was observed in 2020 with the

Chinese Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

roundel. The redesign featured V-tails, a different engine nozzle with the WS-13 turbofan engine, and changes to the ventral fin and the sail structure. The WZ-7 UAV was officially unveiled by the military at the

Zhuhai Airshow China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (), also known as the Airshow China () or Zhuhai Airshow (), is the largest airshow and aerospace trade expo in China. It has been held in even years in Zhuhai, Guangdong since 1996. His ...

in 2021. It was displayed again in 2022.

Design

Larger than most UAVs, the WZ-7 features a tandem, joined-wing design, which allows for a more rigid, less flexible wing than other configurations, with benefits said to include an increased

lift-to-drag ratio In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under gi ...

and less complex flight controls than a HALE UAV with a conventional wing would require. The air intake for the engine is mounted atop the fuselage, with the engine itself mounted in the rear of the aircraft. The prototype aircraft is powered by a

Guizhou WP-13 The Tumansky R-13 is a Soviet turbojet engine designed by Sergei Alekseevich Gavrilov. Design and development The Tumansky R-13 is a development of the successful Tumansky R-11 engine. It is a two-spool axial-flow turbojet featuring a new five-st ...

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, a ...

engine, a copy of the Soviet

Tumansky R-13 The Tumansky R-13 is a Soviet turbojet engine designed by Sergei Alekseevich Gavrilov. Design and development The Tumansky R-13 is a development of the successful Tumansky R-11 engine. It is a two-spool axial-flow turbojet featuring a new five ...

; it is anticipated that an improved engine will be installed in production aircraft. A turbofan engine was installed on the later production model.

Operational history

The WZ-7 entered service with the

People's Liberation Army Air Force The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF; ), also known as the Chinese Air Force (中国空军) or the People's Air Force (人民空军), is an aerial service branch of the People's Liberation Army, the regular armed forces of the Peo ...

in 2018 and were spotted deployed to the

Tibet Autonomous Region The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions ...

Hainan Island Hainan (, ; ) is the smallest and southernmost province of the People's Republic of China (PRC), consisting of various islands in the South China Sea. , the largest and most populous island in China,The island of Taiwan, which is slight ...

and

Yishuntun Airbase Yishuntun Airbase (alternatively Zhengjiatun) is a military air base located in Jilin, Northeast China. The airbase is a highly strategic location, being part of the Northern Theater Command The Northern Theater Command (is) one of the five ...

near North Korea. On 24 July 2019, a WZ-7 shadowed the American which was transiting the

Taiwan Strait The Taiwan Strait is a -wide strait separating the island of Taiwan and continental Asia. The strait is part of the South China Sea and connects to the East China Sea to the north. The narrowest part is wide. The Taiwan Strait is itself a ...

. On 1 January 2023, a WZ-7 flew through the Miyako Strait into the

Philippine Sea The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean east of the Philippine archipelago (hence the name), the largest in the world, occupying an estimated surface area of . The Philippine Sea Plate forms the floor of the sea. I ...

and returned to the

East China Sea The East China Sea is an arm of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. It covers an area of roughly . The sea’s northern extension between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula is the Yellow Sea, separated ...

through the same route.

Operators

; *

: 8 units *

People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force The People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force (PLANAF; ) is the naval aviation branch of the People's Liberation Army Navy. Overview Historically, the PLANAF's main role has been to provide the navy's warships with air defense coverage. Part of ...

: 8 units

Specifications

References