AVIC WZ-8
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| name = WZ-8 | image = WZ-8 at Airshow China Zhuhai 2022.jpg | size = | alt = | caption = WZ-8 at the 2022 Zhuhai Airshow | long caption = }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type = Hypersonic unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle | national origin = People's Republic of China | manufacturer = Aviation Industry Corporation of China | designer = | first flight = | introduced = 1 October 2019 | introdction = | retired = | status = In service | primary user = People's Liberation Army Air Force | more users = | produced = | number built = | program cost = | developed from = | variants with their own articles = | developed into = }} |
WZ-8 ({{zh|s=无侦-8|p=Wú Zhēn-bā|l=unmanned recon-8}}), is an unmanned aerial vehicle produced by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).{{cite web|url=https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/cloud-shadow-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-uav/|title=Cloud Shadow Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)|work=Airforce Technology}} Introduced during China's 70th anniversary military parade, the drone is intended to conduct strategic aerial reconnaissance across southeast Asia, particularly Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. Its reconnaissance capabilities reportedly include electro-optical imaging, synthetic-aperture radar, and other sensors. Some have suggested the drone will be weaponized to provide strategic anti-access/area denial capabilities.{{Cite news |last1=Shepherd |first1=Christian |last2=Chiang |first2=Vic |last3=Wu |first3=Pei-Lin |last4=Nakashima |first4=Ellen |author-link4=Ellen Nakashima |date=April 18, 2023 |title=China readies supersonic spy drone unit, leaked document says |language=en-US |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/04/18/china-supersonic-drone-taiwan-leaks/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=2023-04-19 |issn=0190-8286}} The drone cannot take off under its own power, instead it is air-launched from a Xi'an H-6M mothership once the H-6 reaches a prescribed speed and altitude.
Design and development
WZ-8 was observed in Chinese Airforce experimental test bases by military analysts on satellite images.{{cite web|url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/29857/china-appears-set-to-unveil-a-very-high-speed-drone-during-big-beijing-military-parade |title=China Appears Set To Unveil Very High-Speed Drone During Big Military Parade In Beijing |website=The Drive |date=16 September 2019 |first=Tyler |last=Rogoway }} The vehicle was revealed to the public on 1 October 2019 and was subsequently displayed at Zhuhai Airshow in 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/air-warfare/china-shows-smorgasbord-of-innovative-uavs-in-zhuh/ |title=China shows smorgasbord of innovative UAVs in Zhuhai |website=Shephard Media |date=30 September 2021 |first=Gordon |last=Arthur }}
WZ-8 is a supersonic-hypersonic, remotely operated, high-altitude reconnaissance vehicle. The aircraft bears some superficial resemblance to the DF-ZF hypersonic glide vehicle mounted onboard DF-17 medium-range ballistic missile and the American Lockheed D-21 reconnaissance drone, albeit different in overall dimensions, propulsions, and speed. The drone is launched by a Xi'an H-6M bomber 'mothership', at its appropriate launch attitude. The WZ-8 then ignites its rocket motors, pushing the drone to its operating speed and altitude. The intended roles for the drone include general reconnaissance, pre-attack target assessment, and intelligence gathering. According to the manufacturer claims, the drone can reach hypersonic speed at the cruise altitude of {{convert|50,000|m|ft}},{{Cite web|title=无侦-8：中国首款"太空无人机"，速度6马赫，飞行高度可达50000米_腾讯新闻|url=https://new.qq.com/omn/20201022/20201022A0F7XV00.html|access-date=2021-09-26|website=Tencent News |language=Chinese |archive-date=2021-09-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926073904/https://new.qq.com/omn/20201022/20201022A0F7XV00.html|url-status=live}} at near-space level.{{cite web|url=https://www.defensenews.com/unmanned/2021/09/30/chinese-airshow-offers-glimpse-at-militarys-new-drones/ |title=Chinese airshow offers glimpse at military's new drones |website=Defense News |date=30 September 2021 |first=Mike |last=Yeo}} US intelligence reports displayed it in hypothetical operation in a diagram, with the drone flying over Taiwan or Yellow Sea at a speed of Mach 3 and altitude of {{convert|100,000|ft|m}}.{{cite web|url=https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/leaked-document-shows-maturity-chinese-supersonic-drone |title=Leaked Document Shows Maturity In Chinese Supersonic Drone |website=Aviation Week |date=19 April 2023 |last=Chen |first=Chuanren }} A drone able to sustain flight at a high altitude and speed would allow it to fill up intelligence needs in a combat environment where satellite support is unsustainable,{{cite web|url=https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/30121/chinas-high-speed-recon-drone-is-rocket-powered-and-all-about-doing-what-satellites-cant |title=China's High-Speed Drone Is Rocket-Powered And All About Doing What Satellites Can't |website=The Drive |date=1 December 2019 |first=Tyler |last=Rogoway }} such as repeated fly-over above specific areas of interest.{{cite web|url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/china/bzk-008.htm |title=WZ-8 / BZK-008 CH-91 Hypersonic Drone Testbed |website=globalsecurity }}
According to Chi Li-pin, director of the aeronautical systems research division of National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, Taiwan’s military-run weapons developer, the drone’s primary use won't be against Taiwan but instead US military bases in the Pacific, saying "It's a weapon for anti-access/area denial." Dean Cheng of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies said the aircraft is intended for surveillance "not just aimed at the United States or South Korea, Japan has to worry about it. India has to worry about it. All Southeast Asia has to worry about it."
Operational history
A 2023 leak of classified U.S. government documents made public a January 2023 report by the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) which stated that China has "almost certainly” established its first supersonic UAV unit operating the WZ-8 at Liu'an Airbase, in Dushan County, outside Lu'an. The base falls under Eastern Theater Command, the unit charged with conducting operations against Taiwan and in the East China Sea. The document stated that the drone's sensors, including electro-optical imaging and synthetic-aperture radar (SAR), could gather intelligence on Taiwan and the western side of South Korea.
The drone was reportedly deployed at Anqing Airbase in 2021. In 2023, US intelligence reported the drone and its H-6 mothership are currently operated by the Eastern Theater Command Air Force out of Liu'an Airbase in Anhui province. The H-6M bombers are reported to belong to the 10th Bomber Division.
Operators
{{CHN}}
Specifications
Data from BulgarianMilitary{{Cite web |title=WZ-8 supersonic UAV spotted on the Soviet Tu-16 bomber belly |url=https://bulgarianmilitary.com/amp/2024/04/19/wz-8-supersonic-uav-spotted-on-the-soviet-tu-16-bombers-belly/ |access-date=2025-02-17 |website=bulgarianmilitary.com}}{{Aircraft specs
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See also
References
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{{PRC UAVs}}
{{Chinese Military Aircraft}}
Category:Unmanned military aircraft of China
Category:Unmanned stealth aircraft
Category:Chinese bomber aircraft
Category:Rocket-powered aircraft