China's TB-001 Scorpion MALE drone with a 6000km range and 35 hours of flight time has completed an unprecedented mission and encircled Taiwan

China's TB-001 Scorpion medium-altitude, long-endurance drone has "surrounded" Taiwan. The drone circled the island as part of the People's Liberation Army of China's final burst of airborne activity.

Here's What We Know

Local media had previously published information about Chinese drones flying over the Taiwan Strait. Last week, the Ministry of National Defence confirmed for the first time that a drone had "surrounded" the island during one of its flights.

The defence agency says in its report that the Chinese drone crossed the Bashi Strait, which separates Taiwan from the Philippines. The drone then headed along the eastern coast and returned to the Chinese coast.

This drone turned out to be the TB-001 Scorpion. It was followed by another medium-altitude drone with a long flight time, BZK-005. But it turned back about halfway between the island and the median line in the Taiwan Strait.

The TB-001 Scorpion was designed by the Chinese company Sichuan Tengden. It is 10 metres long, 3.3 metres high and has a wingspan of 20 metres. The drone has a maximum take-off weight of 2,800 kg, including 1,200 kg of payload.

The drone is capable of climbing to an altitude of 8km and has a range of 6,000km. With a payload of 1,000 kg it can remain airborne for up to 35 hours. The TB-001 Scorpion is armed with guided bombs FT-7 and FT-9 and guided missiles AR-4, AR-3, FT-8D and FT-10.

Source: Reuters