Iran may have downed a Chinese-origin Wing Loong II drone, which is operated by two Gulf states that the IRGC has been attacking — Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Iran’s Tasnim news agency recently reported that another US MQ-9 Reaper was downed by the IRGC in the southern region of Shiraz, along with a photo of the wreckage.
The claim was not far-fetched, given that the US military has lost about 16 Reapers since the US launched“Operation Epic Fury” against Iran on February 28.
However, upon a closer examination of the wreckage, several prominent OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) analysts quickly corrected the Iranian claim.
Instead, they identified the wreckage as a Chinese-origin Wing Loong II based on wing-root geometry, fuselage shape, and other structural features that match the Chinese drone.
Analysts quickly concluded that the aircraft could not have been an MQ-9 because its visible fuselage proportions differed significantly from the distinctive form of the American drone.
The downed aircraft did not have an inverted-V tail configuration, a typical MQ-9 Reaper characteristic, and there was no sign of the aircraft’s rear-mounted pusher-propeller nacelle, which is generally visible even after severe damage.
The photo of the wreckage shows a blade-style wing antenna, which the Reaper does not have, as noted by analysts and online weapon trackers. In fact, an OSINT analyst who goes by the name “Evergreen Intel” also posted a photo of the wreckage, along with a wing from the Chinese Wing Loong II, to make the point.
Notably, the drone is also operated by Iran’s neighbor, Pakistan, but it is unlikely that its military drone will fly deep inside Iran while it attempts to broker a ceasefire between the warring sides.
The Wing Loong II is also operated by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, both of which have been repeatedly attacked by Iran, since they host multiple US military bases.
The alleged downing of a Wing Loong II over Iran points to possible direct involvement of Saudi Arabia or the UAE, which have so far only played a defensive role by intercepting Iranian drones and missiles.
This could possibly mark the first clear, physical evidence of a Gulf Arab state conducting direct airborne operations deep inside Iranian territory.
It is noteworthy that the drone was downed in Shiraz, which is located deep in southern Iran and is close to several military, missile, and logistical installations that support Iranian operations throughout the Persian Gulf and the broader West Asian region.
Additionally, the city is strategically located along routes connecting Iranian airbases, Revolutionary Guard facilities, and strategic missile deployments extending toward the Strait of Hormuz.
Experts and reports suggest the drone may have been deployed over the strategic area for ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance) operations in support of US military operations, even though it has lethal strike capability.
However, the incident comes days after the UAE signaled its willingness to enter the campaign to open the Strait of Hormuz, which remains under a de facto partial closure enforced by Iran. Additionally, reports suggest that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are moving closer to actively joining US-led operations against Iran following persistent drone and missile attacks.
What Is The Wing Loong II Drone?
The Wing Loong II is a Chinese medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group of the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China).
The drone was first publicly unveiled by China at the China Air Show held in Zhuhai in 2016, flew for the first time in 2017, and was inducted into the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) in 2018. China has since projected the drone as a cost-effective alternative to the expensive Western drones, such as the US MQ-9 Reaper.
The Wing Loong-II primarily serves as a reconnaissance and precision-strike platform. It has a length of 11 meters, a wingspan of 20.5 meters, and a height of 4.1 meters, with a maximum takeoff weight of 4,200 kilograms. Further, the drone can reach a maximum speed of 370 kilometers/hour and a cruise speed of around 200–280 kilometers/hour.
It is powered by the WJ-9, a locally built turboprop aircraft engine with a maximum output of 500-600 shaft horsepower, and has a combat range of about 1,500 kilometers. However, some sources claim its effective range is much longer.
The Wing Loong II features a conventional design with a slender fuselage, V-tail configuration, and a rear-mounted turboprop engine driving a pusher propeller.
The drone has an endurance of about 32 hours with reduced payload and somewhere about 20 hours in fully armed configurations. It can deploy a range of Chinese-made armaments, including laser-guided bombs, air-to-surface missiles, and other precision weapons. It can carry a payload of up to 480 kilograms across six hardpoints.
The drone can carry up to 18 16 kg-grade TL-2 lightweight air-to-ground missiles installed on triple-ejector racks, as well as up to 12 missiles or bombs in “beast” mode. Additionally, the Wing Loong II drone can also serve as a target designator for Chinese-made short-range ballistic missiles, acting as a force multiplier.
In certain variants, the Wing Loong II also offers synthetic aperture radar for both daytime and nighttime surveillance.
According to reports, data transmission between the drone and the ground control station is facilitated by a Beidou satellite communications antenna positioned on the bulge at the top front surface of the fuselage. The truck-mounted ground station can operate numerous drones with a control radius of 200–300 kilometers, beyond the visible line of sight. The satcom mode allows remote control via satellite link from up to 3,000 kilometers away.
However, a few international customers reportedly have the WL-II satcom configuration.
Through system terminals, an airborne data link can directly transmit real-time battlefield data collected by its radar, camera, and sensors to distant fighting units.
Additionally, the drone can be transformed into an unmanned electronic reconnaissance, active jamming, and communication countermeasures platform with an electronic warfare (EW) module, distinguished by a disc-shaped antenna fairing with multiple extended antennas.
These cutting-edge features have made the Wing Loong II a highly sought-after drone in the export market. The drone is operated by China and Pakistan, as well as several countries in the MENA region, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, Libya, Morocco, and Algeria.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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