A China’s long-range Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) is now being deployed to spy on every naval activity of the United States and allies in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Newly satellite image obtained from Image Sat International (ISI) concluded that a high altitude Chinese drone was spotted onto a China’s man-made artificial island.
The image also shows an ongoing activity of a Chinese Harbin BZK-005 long-range reconnaissance drone taxiing on Woody Island airstrip in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
The BZK-005 high altitude, long range UAV is a reconnaissance aircraft designed by Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics and Harbin Aircraft Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. It is used by the Chinese Navy.
It can remain airborne for up to 40 hours with a cruising speed of around 170 km/h, service ceiling 8,000 m, max takeoff weight is around 1,200 kg, max payload over 150 kg.
But the drone did not appear armed in the satellite image since the BZK-005 does not have the capability to fire missiles, unlike other drones in China’s inventory. – Carl E.
That’s where China is good at, to jab and provoke other parties especially the US. The satellite imagery is not that clear. The front half of the UAV looks like the BZK-005 due to its Swept-Back Wing configuration but the half end or tail assembly is not clear if it is really a Twin Boom Vertical Stabilizer of the BZK-005.