KATHMANDU: The Japanese Ministry of Defense’s Joint Staff Office has released footage showing Chinese new long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles over neutral waters flying toward its border over the East China Sea.
The Joint Staff of Japan’s Defense Ministry reported throughout August that Japanese fighter jets scrambled several times to intercept new types of Chinese medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicles.
A recent Joint Staff Office news release reported that pilots of Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) fighters visually identified Chinese drones as the TB-001 and BZK-005 and their observed flight paths.
The TB-001, also known as Twin-Tailed Scorpion, is a strike-capable, reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle designed by Sichuan Tengden with a twin-engine and double-tail drone. The drone can takeoff with 2.8 tons of weight, has a range of more than 3,700 miles, and is capable to carry two 220-pound bombs or missiles.
This aircraft is characterized by a dual tail fuselage design. This design extends two-tail support sections backward on the wing, each connecting a vertical tail, and the tops of the two vertical tails are combined in the form of a flat tail.
As to the second drone, BZK-005 is a medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) drone designed by Beijing University of Aeronautics & Astronautics and Harbin Aircraft Industry (Group) Co., Ltd. The multirole drone can climb to an altitude of 8,000 meters for a maximum endurance of 40 hours – altitudes and ranges similar to those of the U.S. MQ-1 Predator.
According to open sources, the BZK-005’s primary mission appears to be ISR. The BZK-005 probably has electro-optical, infrared, synthetic aperture radar, and signals intelligence sensors and is equipped with satellite communications systems, allowing for real-time data transmission capability.
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