Overview of Chinese Reconnaissance, Attack, and Multipurpose UAVs

On December 6-7, 2023, a user named “Rankings and Comparisons” on the Chinese Bilibili video platform published a series of videos titled “The Development History of Major Domestically Produced Integrated Reconnaissance and Strike Multi-Purpose Attack Drones!” The videos provide in-depth technical details about several Chinese drones that fulfill military capacities and that have been unveiled or have entered service over the past decade. These include:

• The CH-4 drone, which has carried out over 7,000 missions and has been exported to countries such as Pakistan, Algeria, and Iraq. This drone has several variants, including: the CH-4A reconnaissance drone; the CH-4B reconnaissance and strike drone; the CH-4C enhanced reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and strike drone; and the KVD002 drone, which is the first integrated reconnaissance and strike drone used by the PLA and is a military variant of the CH-4 drone.
• The CH-10 unmanned tiltrotor reconnaissance and surveillance drone, which has VTOL capabilities.
• The TB-001 “Twin-Tailed Scorpion” drone, with a range enabling it to take off from any airstrip in China and reach any location in the country without needing to refuel or land, and which has recently conducted a patrol around Taiwan. Variants of this drone include the enhanced TB-A triple-engine drone and the TB-D four-engine drone.
• The Tianying (“Sky Hawk”) high-altitude, high-velocity stealth reconnaissance and surveillance drone.
• The WJ-700 “Falcon” long-range reconnaissance and strike drone, which is equipped with a high-thrust turbofan engine and is intended to meet international market demands.
• The Wing Loong-2 (WL-2) strike drone, which has been exported by China, even being used by Nigeria against Boko Haram militants. This drone has a military variant designated GJ-2.
• The Wing Loong-3 (WL-3) reconnaissance and strike drone, which can carry a particularly heavy payload.