CAIG Wing Loong

This article is about the Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle. For the 1970s vintage ultralight aircraft, see Pterodactyl Ascender.

Pterodactyl I 翼龙-1
File:File:Wing Loong.jpg
Role	MALE UCAV
Manufacturer	Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group
Designer	Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute
First flight	2009
Introduction	2008
Status	Export (2011)
Primary users	People's Liberation Army Air Force Saudi Arabia United Arab Emirates

The Chengdu Pterodactyl I (Chinese: 翼龙-1; pinyin: Yìlóng-1) also known as Wing Loong is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People's Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and aerial reconnaissance platform, the Pterodactyl I is capable of being fitted with air-to-surface weapons for use in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) role. Based on official marketing material released by CADI, the Pterodactyl can carry BA-7 air-to-ground missile, YZ-212 laser-guided bomb, YZ-102A anti-personnel bomb and 50-kilogram LS-6 miniature guided bomb.

Design and development

Designed and developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute (CADI), a division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the Pterodactyl I bears a distinct similarity in appearance to the Predator/Reaper family of drones developed by the United States. The drone is capable of being fitted with a variety of sensors, including a forward looking infrared turret and synthetic aperture radar. In addition, the aircraft is capable of carrying weapons. The Pterodactyl I's total payload capacity for sensors and weapons is 200 kilograms (440 lb).

Operational history

According to Chengdu, the Pterodactyl I has been undergoing flight testing and has proven successful, with the flight test program including weapons tests of both bombs and air-to-surface missiles. A model of the Pterodactyl I was displayed at the 2010 China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition at Zhuhai, the first public acknowledgment of the program; however, it was claimed by AVIC that the aircraft had been displayed at the 2008 airshow. The aircraft has been approved for export by Chinese authorities; the Pterodactyl I was evaluated by Pakistan, but was not selected for procurement.

One example of the type was known to have been lost in an accident during 2011.

China National Aero Technology Import & Export Corp is managing exportation of Pterodactyl UAV. An unknown number of Pterodactyl UAVs were purchased by Saudi Arabia in May 2014.

Variants

A total of four variants of Wing Loong have been identified and they are:

• Pterosaur I: First member of Wing Loong seris, with program of Wing Loong begun in May 2005. Maiden flight was completed in October 2007 and payload evaluation flight was completed a year later in October 2008. This first model of Wing Loong seris lacked the bulge at the nose tip of the fuselage due to the lack of satellite antenna, and while the English nameused by the developer differed from later model, the Chinese name remain the same, and so is the name Wing Loong for the entire series. The lack of satellite antenna results in cheaper cost, with the reduction of the maximum control range around to 200 km. This model is no longer actively marketed when Pterodactyl I appeared, but is still available as a cheaper alternative up on potential customers’ request.
• Pterodactyl I: Second member of Wing Loong series. Distinguished from earlier Pterosaur I in that there is a bulge at the nose tip of the fuselage to house satellite antenna, and this is the version most widely publicized and actively marketed as a surveillance platform. United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan were reported to be the first two foreign cusomters of Pterodactyl I.
• WJ-1: The first land attack version of Pterodactyl I, which is a weapon platform without the reconnaissance/targeting pod under the chin. The designation WJ stands for Wu-Zhuang Wu-Ren-Ji (武装无人机), meaning armed UAV. WJ-1 UAV made its public debut in November 2014 at the 10th Zhuhai Airshow along with its cousin GJ-1.
• GJ-1: Another land attack version of Pterodactyl I that combines the capability of both Pterodactyl I and WJ-1 so that it can identify and engage targets on its own. GJ-1 can be distinguished from both Pterodactyl I and WJ-1 in that GJ-1 has both the reconnaissance/targeting pod under the chin, as well as hardpoints to carry weapons. The designation GJ stands for Gong-Ji Wu-Ren-Ji (武装无人机), meaning attack UAV. GJ-1 UAV made its public debut in November 2014 at the 10th Zhuhai Airshow along with its cousin WJ-1.

Specifications

Data from ,

General characteristics

• Crew: None (UAV)
• Length: 9.05 m (29 ft 8 in)
• Wingspan: 14 m (45 ft 11 in)
• Height: 2.77 m (9 ft 1 in)
• Gross weight: 1,100 kg (2,425 lb)
• Propellers: 3-bladed

Performance

• Maximum speed: 280 km/h (174 mph; 151 kn)
• Range: 4,000 km (2,485 mi; 2,160 nmi)
• Endurance: 20 hours
• Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,404 ft)

Armament

100 kilograms (220 lb) of air-to-surface weapons

• Bombs
  • FT-10
  • FT-10
  • FT-9
  • FT-7
  • GB7
  • GB4
• Missiles
  • BRM1
  • AKD-10

Avionics

• 100 kilograms (220 lb) capacity for sensors

See also

• BAE Mantis
• General Atomics MQ-1 Predator
• List of Chinese aircraft
• List of unmanned aerial vehicles of the People's Republic of China

References

Citations

Bibliography

• Minnick, Wendell (November 24, 2010). "China Developing Armed/Recon UAVs". Defense News. http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=5101322. Retrieved 2011-02-11. 
• Wall, Robert (November 17, 2010). "China's Armed Predator". Aviation Week and Space Technology. http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/defense/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog:27ec4a53-dcc8-42d0-bd3a-01329aef79a7Post:e2c4ebce-729c-4722-b293-b3de048981d3. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
• Zeitler, Andreas (February 2011). "Zhuhai 2010". Hersham, Surrey, UK: Ian Allan Publishing. ISSN 2041-7470.