China showed the WZ-8 drone, which can reach speeds of 3,700 km/h and should destroy F-35 Lighting II fighters
At the Changchun Air Show, where the YU-20 tanker made its debut, the People's Liberation Army of China showed the Wuzhen-8, aka WZ-8 drone.
Here's What We Know
The drone was first shown for the first time a year ago as part of an air show in Zhuhai City. Until now, China has not reported on its use and decided once again to demonstrate the drone to the public. The WZ-8 can be used for reconnaissance and act as a supersonic drone.
New Chinese supersonic drone Wuzhen-8 ! pic.twitter.com/xVAbWvw54l
- Yin Sura 尹苏拉 (@yin_sura) August 29, 2022
By the way, in some materials the model appears as DR-8. For example, in the article SCMP, which was published almost three years ago. The author of the text notes that the drone will play a key role in the [possible] conflict between the U.S. and China in the South China Sea and the Western Pacific.
The WZ-8 can reach speeds of up to Mach 3 (or 3,700 km/h). The unmanned aerial vehicle can be launched from an H-6N strategic bomber, which will noticeably expand the range of the UAV. The Chinese aircraft has a range of more than 8000 km.
If necessary, the WZ-8 can be disguised as a high-speed missile, i.e. turn into a kamikaze drone. In this mode of operation, the drone can (presumably) destroy American F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II fighters. Another target for the WZ-8 is aircraft carriers.
Source: @yin_sura
