China Deploys WZ-7 Soaring Dragon To Spy Against India, Japan

China deploys the WZ-7 Soaring Dragon to monitor India and Japan as tensions exist with these countries. The drone is high flying and capable of long standby flights, equivalent to the American RQ-4B Global Hawk, a HALE-class drone.

Chinese Drone Spies on India, Japan

The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), capable of AI-enabled networking and sensor fusion, resisted jamming via encrypting data links that share information on the battlefield. Another is linking up with ISR links to Chinese satellites, according to The Eurasian Times.

Several Twitter users posted a photo depicting three of these Soaring Dragon drones, but details like where the UAVs are based and what time it was captured are unknown.

In the image, it can be noticed that one more drone is in the background, but nothing is verified. Online attention was reported concerning the image, especially about an elephant walk.

The characteristics of the WZ-7 with its odd diamond contoured wings are connected to swept forward wings. They are connected to the bottom of the vertical tail, a dominant feature.

WZ-7 Soaring Dragon: Top secret drone

Designed and built by the Guizhou Aircraft Industry Corporation (GAIC), that was first revealed and exhibited at the Zhuhai Air Show 2021 that caught attention. The main feature of the Soaring Dragon that differentiates it from the US Global hawk is the air intake on the top of the airframe, with the main engine at the UAV's rear, per CMDA

Sources indicate that the long-endurance UAV was modified in 2011 when it was featured as a working prototype. Later in 2013, another update appeared with canted vertical tail surfaces from the initial change.

Major redesign on the current model is the V-tails and the engine nozzle of its WS-13 Turbofan engine, with changes to its ventral fin and the sail structures.

A jet-powered drone with a maximum height of 60,000 feet and a range of 4,350 miles as far as it can go, wherein the range is only speculative and capable of staying aloft for 10 hours, but it seems to be top secret.

China Uses UAVs

Based on the information available, PLAAF and PLAN are major users of the Soaring Dragon drone. It is used for monitoring traffic information by the Chinese Air Force in Tibet to allow spying on India.

These drones are launched from the important Yishuntun Airbase that lies close to the North Korean border.

Further information about the WZ-7 is related to the concept of Intelligence Warfare' concept that was reported earlier by the outlet.

More interesting information about the less known drone packed with electronic warfare aircraft also used on the J-16D. Another is the sharing of data with the J-16D as well.

The J-16D EW Flanker, like the WZ-7, will share the info it gets from surveillance and electronic warfare (EW) that jams, fools, and signals intelligence. On the wing tip are the jamming pods housing the equipment.

In service of China and its Air Force, Navy, the WZ-7 Soaring Dragon is used as a spying platform to monitor India and Japan, which are US allies, in reference to the Indo-Pacific conflict.