China has unveiled for the first time its Yi Long unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) during the Zhuhai Airshow on Tuesday, Ria Novosti reported. ...
The UAV has been under development by the Chengdu aircraft-building institute since 2005, and made a first test-flight in 2008.
The aircraft measures 9.34 meters in length, and has a wingspan of 14 meters.It weighs over a ton.
It can fly at a altitude of 5,300 meters and has a range of 4,000 kilometers.
It can stay airborne for a continous 20 hours.
The design is basically a copy of the US-made MQ-9 Reaper, with a pusher engine, V-tail, long-span straight wing, and fuselage shape configured for low radar cross-section.
It was shown armed with under-wing missiles, and an electro-optical sensor turret under the forward fuselage.
Several Predator UAV's shot down during Operation Allied Forces over Yugoslavia in 1999 is believed to be the source of technology for the chinese.
