Wing Loong II

China's MQ-9-class armed drone — a turboprop MALE UCAV built by AVIC, fielding six hardpoints, SATCOM control, and an extensive export-customer combat record, all at roughly a tenth the unit cost of an MQ-9.

Overview

The Wing Loong II (Yilong-2, PLAAF designation GJ-2) is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by Chengdu Aircraft Industry under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Roughly analogous in configuration to the US MQ-9 Reaper but sold at a fraction of the price, it carries up to 480 kg of ordnance on six hardpoints and is marketed as an armed ISR and precision-strike platform. According to SIPRI data analysed by Al Jazeera, China became the world’s leading exporter of armed combat drones over the decade to 2023, and the Wing Loong II is one of its flagship export products.

Development

AVIC flew the first Wing Loong II prototype in February 2017, an event recorded by AIN (Aviation International News) as a major step for China’s armed-drone ambitions. The People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) accepted the type into service as the GJ-2 from November 2018, making it the primary Chinese MALE UCAV in PLAAF inventory alongside the smaller CH-4 Rainbow. Design work deliberately targeted the export market, where tight US export controls had left a gap that Chinese manufacturers filled with lower-cost alternatives. The United Arab Emirates became the launch export customer in 2017, ordering an undisclosed number of air vehicles, with further follow-on and licence-production deals brokered over the following years, including a reported co-production agreement with Pakistan for up to 48 airframes.

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