Posted On Thursday, 27 January 2022 20:59
According to information published by the "Tactical Report" website on January 27, 2022, China is in talks with Egypt to deliver an undisclosed number of Wing Loong I-D Unmanned Aerial Vehicles that will be delivered to the Egyptian Air Force.
Chinese-made Wing Loong I-D Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. (Picture source Air Recognition)
According to SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms trade database, China has already delivered several different types of drones to Egypt including ASN-209 designed for Medium Altitude Medium Endurance (MAME) tactical missions and Wing Loong 1/2 armed drones.
Egypt and China had signed an agreement to build twelve ASN-209 UAVs including technology transfer in order to enhance Egypt's domestic drone industry. In May 2012 six Egyptian drones of ASN-209 were built in collaboration with a foreign defense manufacturer during the first phase and are fully operational under the Egyptian armed forces.
The Wing Loong 1 is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Wing Loong 2 UAV MALE is an enlarged version of Wing Loong 1 with a longer body and wider wingspan.
The Wing Loong I-D is an upgraded variant of the original Wing Loong I unmanned aircraft featuring an all-composite airframe. The drone performed its maiden flight in December 2018. It has a greater payload compared to the previous version of Wing Loong 1 that can reach up to 200 kg.
The Wing Loong I-D has a length of 9.34 m, a wingspan of 14 m, and can fly for up to 35 hours with a maximum range of 4,000 km. The drone can be armed with up to 12 missiles. The sensor suite for the new drone includes high definition electro-optical camera and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to perform intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
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