China’s Wing Loong UAV family makes Southeast Asian debut
The China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), the export arm of the state-owned aerospace and defence prime Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), is showcasing the company’s Wing Loong family of armed reconnaissance medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles (MALE UAVs) in Southeast Asia for the first time.
The company is specifically highlighting full-sized mock-ups of its Wing Loong I and Wing Loong II air vehicles, along with a full range of proposed UAV-deployable munitions, at the Changi Exhibition Centre during the 2018 iteration of the Singapore Airshow, which will open from 6 to 11 February.
Developed and manufactured by AVIC’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute (CADI) subsidiary, the Wing Loong I is 9 m long, 2.8 m tall, and features a wingspan of 14 m. The air vehicle – which is identified as the Gongji-1 (GJ-1) in service with People’s Liberation Army Air Force– has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 1,200 kg and a payload capacity of 200 kg, with half of this dedicated to external stores split between two underwing mounts.
AVIC is aiming to roll out the improved Wing Loong I-D in 2018, having unveiled a scale model of the new variant at the 2016 iteration of the China Airshow. According to specifications obtained by Jane’s during the event, the Wing Loong I-D is expected to be approximately 8.7 m in length, 3.2 m in height, and have a wingspan of 17.6 m. It is envisioned to be capable of carrying up to 400 kg of external stores on four underwing hardpoints, which translates to twice as many weapon mounting locations and four times the capacity compared with the Wing Loong I. (Jane's)
Drone Murah China Bidik Indonesia
Mengutip situs Reuters, Kamis, 8 Februari 2018, harga drone China merek Wing Loong hanya dibanderol US$5 juta (Rp67 miliar) per unit, jauh lebih murah ketimbang Reaper MQ-9 milik AS-Israel yang senilai US$100 juta (Rp1,34 triliun) per unit.
Negeri Tirai Bambu ini pun mengincar sejumlah negara seperti Indonesia, Malaysia, Filipina dan Myanmar. Menurut pengamat militer dari Jane's IHS Markit, Ben Moores, China memang belum mengambil pangsa pasar pembuat drone AS dan Israel.
"Tapi itu strategi mereka. China hanya menjual drone kepada (calon) pelanggan yang tidak mampu membeli produk Amerika dan Israel," ungkap Moores.
Ia pun memprediksi China fokus membidik tiga negara utama di Asia Tenggara. Ketiganya adalah Malaysia, Indonesia dan Filipina.
"Militer Filipina dan Malaysia sudah melihat-lihat dan mereka tertarik. Sedangkan Malaysia dan Indonesia masing-masing berpotensi membeli 24 dan 20 unit Wing Loong," paparnya.
Kendati demikian, ada kekurangan dari drone milik China daripada AS-Israel. Moores menegaskan drone China belum teruji di medan perang sesungguhnya. Berbeda dengan Reaper MQ-9 yang sudah memiliki lima juta jam terbang seperti Timur Tengah dan Afrika.
"Jam terbang drone kami lebih banyak dari semua gabungan drone di dunia. Kami memiliki rekam jejak selama 40 tahun dengan 70 rekanan di 55 negara. Pengalaman yang berbicara. Nah, kalau mereka (drone China)?" kata Wakil Direktur Utama Bidang Sales dan Marketing Aeronautics, Dany Eshchar, seraya menyindir.
Pada pertengahan 2017, Kementerian Pertahanan Indonesia memastikan akan memperkuat pertahanan udaranya dengan membeli alutsista jet tempur Sukhoi Su-35 Rusia dan drone bersenjata milik China.
Khusus rencana pembelian drone atau pesawat nirawak, Menteri Pertahanan Ryamizard Ryacudu menjelaskan pemerintah sedang mencari drone yang berkualitas dan biaya terjangkau serta kemampuan transfer teknologi yang memadai bagi kemandirian industri pertahanan Indonesia. (Viva)