The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force will for the first time display the WZ-7 high-altitude reconnaissance drone at the Airshow China 2021, to be held in Zhuhai, South China’s Guangdong Province, from September 28 to October 3, a spokesperson at the PLA Air Force announced.
As one of China’s largest drones, the WZ-7 will be deployed in missions that require extended endurance like border reconnaissance and maritime patrol, experts said.
Revealing the lineup for the exhibition, Senior Colonel Shen Jinke, spokesperson at the PLA Air Force, said that the J-20 stealth fighter jet and Y-20 large transport aircraft will join the event, the KJ-500 early warning aircraft and the H-6K bomber will be put on static display, and the J-16D electronic warfare aircraft and the WZ-7 reconnaissance drone will make their public debuts, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Friday.
Domestically developed and produced by China, the WZ-7 is a high-altitude reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle designed to conduct missions including border reconnaissance and maritime patrol, CCTV said.
Featuring a tandem-wing design and being large in size, the WZ-7 has a long endurance, which makes completing its intended missions possible, a Chinese military expert told the Global Times on Friday, requesting anonymity.
The drone’s official designation is now confirmed as the WZ-7, and the PLA Air Force is presenting it to the general public at the air show indicating that it has entered service with the PLA Air Force, the expert said, noting that it was previously known by its codename, the Soar Dragon.