Satellite photographed the secret Chinese WZ-8 drone, which can reach speeds in excess of 3,700km/h and is designed to destroy F-35 and F-22 fighters

Defense News reporters have obtained an image of China's secret supersonic WZ-8 drone. The drone is parked outside one of the new hangars at Lu'an Air Base in Anhui province.

Here's What We Know

The People's Republic of China is actively upgrading the airbase where the People's Liberation Army bombers are stationed. As you can see, a hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicle capable of speeds of Mach 3 (more than 3,700km/h) is also located there.

The photo was taken by a Planet Labs satellite. Unfortunately, the quality of the picture cannot be called high.

The drone was unveiled in 2019. Three years later, the WZ-8 appeared at an air show in China along with the YU-20 refuelling aircraft.

The drone will be able to operate in two modes. The first involves reconnaissance, reconnaissance and surveillance. In the second mode, the WZ-8 transforms into a high-speed missile aimed at destroying US aircraft carriers as well as F-35 and F-22 fifth-generation fighters.

The drone's launch platform is the H-6 strategic bomber, which has a range of 8,000 km. It is these aircraft that are stationed at Luan Air Base in Anhui province.

The modernisation of the base began in the summer of 2018. The Chinese military intends to upgrade the pavement of the 3.2km runway, widen runways and build 20 hangars to house the bombers. There will also be two hangars at the base in place of open aeroplane car parks.

According to Decker Eveleth, a student at the Middlebury Institute for International Studies in Monterey, China has already built munitions screening facilities at the base. They are checkpoints for checking missiles and bombs before they are loaded onto aircraft.

Finally, last month satellite photos of the WZ-8 at the Chinese base were also released. And two drones were caught in the photos at once. The images were taken on August 9 of last year. They are part of secret US intelligence documents that were leaked to Discord. However, their authenticity has not been confirmed. The documents state that China intends to use the WZ-8 to spy on US ships and military bases.

Source: Defence News