China-made drone is ‘world class’: expert  

Zhuhai (CNS) -- The China-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Wing Loong" now on display at the China Airshow 2012 has attained a world-class level, an expert said here on Wednesday.

The Wing Loong, or "Yi Long," was designed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute (CADI) of the China Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC).

Li Yidong, vice general designer for CADI, denied speculation that the Wing Loong was a clone of the U.S. Predator drone: The design of the Wing Loong is based on Chinese technology and task demands, and is the successful outcome of automatic control technology development in China, he said.

Li admitted that the Wing Loong fell behind the U.S. Predator in certain areas, but was still "world class."

The Wing Loong is used to conduct surveillance and hunter-killer missions for anti-terrorism and border patrol, as well as to undertake surveys of civil resources, said Li. It is fit for highly dangerous circumstances, he added.

As for the number of red stars and missile patterns painted on it, Li said the displayed drone had carried out 20 missions and fired 15 missiles.