Breaking

China unveils ‘loyal wingman’ armed drone concept , Quite similar to US Kratos and Indian CATS Warrior

Source : Reuters/IgMp

China unveils ‘loyal wingman’ armed drone concept , Quite similar to US Kratos and Indian CATS Warrior
Chinese FH-97 Wingman drone concept showcased at Zhuhai Air Show in China.



China on Wednesday revealed a drone concept similar in mission – and appearance – to the US-made Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie as countries race to invest in “loyal wingman” drones to help protect pricier crewed fighter jets.The long-range FH-97 drone concept unveiled on Wednesday can carry different types of weapons, and has swarm and electronic warfare capabilities, said Wu Wei, a representative of China Aerospace Science Technology Corp’s (CASTC) Feihong product line.

He did not provide specifics in his presentation at Airshow China in Zhuhai. The United States, Britain, Australia, India and Russia are among the countries developing “loyal wingman” drones, which are cheaper and more expendable than crewed fighters. CASTC did not provide technical details of the FH-97 concept, nor say whether it was planned for export, though many foreign observers watched the presentation.

The FH-97’s appearance is nearly identical to the Kratos XQ-58A, which made its first flight in 2019. The XQ-58A has a maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and a range of about 2,200 nautical miles. Zhang Zhongyang, vice president of CASTC said the plan was to turn Feihong into an “international top-notch brand… and become a major player at the centre stage of the world arena.”

American XQ-58A Kratos Loyal Wingman flight test



On the other hand, India's HAL also unveiled its own CATS Warrior Loyal Wingman concept in Aero India 2021, and as per HAL's data and specifications, HAL CATS Warrior will have a maximum speed of 0.63 Mach or 790km/h and a range of about 810 nautical miles or 1,500 km. It will have a total of 4 hardpoints in it, 2 internal & 2 external with a capacity of up to 600kg, with provisions to carry combinations of air to air missiles, air to ground missiles, precision-guided munitions like DRDO SAAW, and Loitering munitions like ALFA-S.

HAL CATS Warrior Wingman Drone concept at Aero India 2021



    China has exported military drones to countries including the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Serbia. “The chief customer is certainly the PLA, but in recent years the Chinese are also aggressively marketing these systems for exports,” said Collin Koh, a defence research fellow with Singapore’s Rajaratnam School of International Studies.China also used the country’s biggest air show to display the weapons capability of one of its most advanced stealth attack drone projects, the GJ-11.

    The Global Times reported that the GJ-11 on display at the show had its two weapons bays open for the first time. Inside each were four unidentified munitions that appeared to be precision air-to-ground glide bombs.Bradley Perrett, a specialist on Asian aerospace and defence, said the GJ-11 was designed to slip undetected through radar coverage and attack heavily defended targets.

    “In doing that, it would take the place of a much larger and more expensive fighter with a pilot,” he said. “Development won’t be easy, but when it’s complete the type will present a new threat to Taiwan and potentially Japan.” Chinese companies have 27 drone exhibits at the Zhuhai show.

    No comments:

    Follow us on Google News

    Follow Us on WhatsApp Channel

    Powered by Blogger.