China unveils unmanned aircraft powered by rocket engines for reconnaissance when satellites are down
BEIJING – The People's Republic of China has unveiled a high-speed reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the country's recent 70th anniversary parade in Beijing. The Drive reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
11 Oct. 2019 -- The unmanned aircraft is designed to gather intel rapidly in contested areas by surprise and especially when key satellites are no longer operational.
The two WZ-8s put on display for the anniversary parade appear to be real aircraft, not mockups. These could be early demonstrators or an early production configuration, we just don't know.
The WZ-8 is an air-launched, high-speed, high-altitude, unmanned reconnaissance aircraft that is recoverable via a runway. What's new is that we now know its propulsion method -- rocket engines. In other words, it isn't an air breather.
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
