China's First Flight of Unmanned Reconnaissance Drone to Counter U.S. Global Hawk

WJ-700 with Electronic Warfare Capability Test Flight... Capable of Striking Enemy Ships and Radar
China and US MQ-4C Drones Conduct Reconnaissance Flights over South China Sea Under Close Watch

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China’s high-altitude reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (WJ-700), developed with indigenous technology, recently succeeded in its first test flight.

China initially began developing reconnaissance drones to strengthen surveillance of military activities on the Korean Peninsula, including the high-altitude missile defense system (THAAD). The reconnaissance drone that successfully completed the test flight is reported to also possess air-to-ground attack capabilities.

High-altitude attack and reconnaissance drone (WJ-700) developed by China. Photo by Global Times

According to Chinese state media such as Xinhua News Agency on the 14th, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) completed the test flight of its self-developed high-altitude attack and reconnaissance drone (WJ-700) on the 11th. This drone was first unveiled at the ‘Zhuhai Airshow China’ in November 2018.

Regarding this test flight, CASIC stated that it was conducted to verify the accuracy of the drone’s system design and described it as a future innovative resource for China’s unmanned equipment. They added, “In addition to reconnaissance missions, it is equipped with attack capabilities that can precisely strike targets,” and “It is a drone with air-to-ground functions capable of attacking ships as well as destroying radars.”

This drone is expected to be equipped with weapons linked to the ASN-301, a radar countermeasure interceptor missile deployed by China. The ASN-301 missile is a weapon that tracks electronic signals emitted from radars and can destroy enemy radar systems.

In fact, the drone’s maximum takeoff weight is known to be over 3.5 tons, and its flight altitude exceeds 20 km above ground level. Chinese media reported that the drone’s maximum flight duration is 20 hours.

Meanwhile, Global Times reported that the U.S. Navy’s Triton (MQ-4C) unmanned reconnaissance aircraft conducted surveillance flights over southwestern Taiwan airspace from midnight to 8 a.m. on the 13th. The media noted that since December last year, the frequency of Triton’s reconnaissance flights over the East China Sea and South China Sea has significantly increased.