China's state-owned AVIC has displayed the Wing Loong-10 UAV (pictured) in PLAAF colour at the Airshow China 2022 exhibition being held in Zhuhai. (Future Publishing via Getty Images)
China's state-owned aerospace and defence prime Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has displayed the Wing Loong-10 (WL-10) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at the Airshow China 2022 exhibition being held in Zhuhai from 8 to 13 November.
WL-10, also dubbed as WZ-10, can be seen in People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) colour at the airshow, suggesting that the UAV has entered into service.
According to the Zhuhai government website, WL-10 is a high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) UAV that has a wingspan of about 10 m and a height of nearly 2 m.
The electronic warfare-capable WL-10 features relatively low-wing cranked planform with slender fuselage that incorporates a bulged nose section (incorporating a dorsal antenna hump), a tricycle undercarriage, a V-shaped tail assembly incorporating ruddervators, and a rear-mounted turbojet engine.
WL-10 has a large trapezoidal dual dorsal engine intake and dual truncated and concealed exhaust at the rear side of the fuselage, suggesting the usage of two engines to propel the UAV.
While WL-10 itself has been displayed in clean configuration at the airshow, a range of ammunition can be seen alongside the UAV, including a TY-90 infrared (IR)-guided air-to-air missile.
Janes analysis of local media images of WL-10 suggests that the UAV can also carry a range of ammunition such as LD-16, BBM2, AG-300M, LS6100, GB-4, BA21, YJ-9E, FT-7, and TL-20.
In 2021, WL-10 was upgraded with a small ZF850 turbojet engine manufactured by Jiangxi Zhongfa Tianxin Aero Engine Technology Co Ltd.
Janes analysis suggests that the WL-10 is also powered by a pair of indigenously developed Wo Shan-500 (WS-500/Turbofan-500) small turbofan engines.
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