CHINA Most Advance WZ-8 High-Altitude Drone.

Antipolo Magazine 2020

Role:

Unmanned surveillance aircraft

National origin:

People's Republic of China

Manufacturer:

Aviation Industry Corporation of China

Introduction:

1 October 2019

Status:

In service

Primary user:

People's Liberation Army Air Force

The US Pentagon documents that were leaked on Discord say that China is getting ready to launch a cutting-edge, high-altitude espionage drone called the "WZ-8" that could move at three times the speed of sound.

According to The Washington Post, the information was obtained from a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency confidential document and published there. The report and the document the newspaper quoted were not legitimate, according to EurAsian Times.

If accurate, the allegations would greatly improve Chinese spying capabilities. A state-of-the-art surveillance technology, the drones might let China acquire real-time mapping data to plan plans or launch missile strikes in a future confrontation.

A satellite image from August 9 is also included in the paper, showing two WZ-8 rocket-powered surveillance drones at an air base 350 miles inland from Shanghai in eastern China. The evaluation asserts that Beijing's claim of sovereignty over Taiwan had been "almost certainly" upheld by the Chinese military's Eastern Theater Command, which had "almost certainly" built its first unmanned aerial vehicle unit at the site.

According to an analysis of satellite pictures provided to The Post by Planet Labs and made public on Google Earth, the site has grown over the past few years, with at least 18 more structures planned to be constructed after August 2020. Beginning in late February 2022, new, substantially larger roads leading into the hills south of the runway were constructed.

The stolen documents indicate that the Chinese military is working on technologies that might allow it to target American warships and military stations in the area, particularly those close to Taiwan, in addition to this future drone.

Other materials, such as intelligence revealing new Chinese spy balloons, highlighted Chinese espionage activities and military development. Now that Beijing's surveillance efforts have come under scrutiny, this is even more important.

A Chinese surveillance balloon that was allegedly flying above important American military locations was shot down by the United States in February of this year. As a result of the incident, diplomatic relations between the two rivals reached an all-time high.

Media reports following the spy balloon dispute between China and the US suggested China possessed a unique and cutting-edge unit for spying using high-altitude balloons. According to some sources, Beijing was allegedly employing these balloons for snooping.