WDS 2024: AVIC WL-10B (HALE) to be delivered to Royal Saudi Air Force
China Defence, on behalf of China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), has confirmed that the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) Wing Loong-10B, an export variant of the CATIC Wing Loong-10 (also dubbed as WL-10), will soon enter service with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).
With the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) displayed at the World Defense Show (WDS) 2024 held in Riyadh from 4 to 8 February, the company official told
Janes that the payloads will be different for the export variant compared with the baseline variant. The company official also revealed that the base variant WL-10 UAV and the lower endurance variant WL-10A are in service with China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF).
Alongside the WL-10B, CATIC displayed a range of weapons that can be fitted onto the UAV. These include the TY-90 air-to-air missile, AG-300/M air-to-ground missile, FT-7A/W laser-guided bomb, YJ-9E anti-ship missile, TL-20 guided bomb, and LS-6/100NLS miniature-guided bomb.
The high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) WL-10 features a relatively low-wing cranked planform with slender fuselage that incorporates a bulged nose section (incorporating a dorsal antenna hump), a tricycle undercarriage, a V-shaped tail assembly incorporating ruddervators, and a rear-mounted turbojet engine.
The WL-10B has a large trapezoidal dorsal engine intake and a concealed exhaust at the rear of the fuselage, suggesting a single engine. The UAV is fitted with a communication antenna and ultra/very-high-frequency (U/VHF) datalinks. An additional electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) sensor will be fitted ventrally ahead of the communication antenna.
https://www.janes.com/defence-news/...-10b-to-be-delivered-to-royal-saudi-air-force
The Wing Loong-10 drone ( Cloud Shadow, military designation WZ-10) is an unmanned aerial vehicles of the High-Altitude Long Endurance (HALE) type, featuring some stealth characteristics..
Specifications
General characteristics
Crew: None
Length: 9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 20 m (65 ft 7 in)
Height: 3.66 m (12 ft 0 in)
Empty weight: 2,300 kg (5,071 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 3,200 kg (7,055 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × WP-11C or ZF850 turbojet, 9.8 kN (2,200 lbf) thrust
Powerplant: 2 × AEF-50E turbofan, 4.90 kN (1,102 lbf) thrust each
Performance
Cruise speed: 620 km/h (390 mph, 330 kn)
Endurance: 20 hours
Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,000 ft)
Armament
Missiles: Blue Arrow air-to-surface missile, light cruise missiles
Bombs: CS/BBM3 (YL-12) GPS guided bomb, GB-4 precision-guided bomb
Of course it will be with special specifications such as WL-2-SA and ToT..
Saudi Arabia, I believe, has collected all types of attack drones in the world
American
European
Turkish
Chinese
Not to mention the local ones
And soon the Korean KUS-FS
The Kingdom possesses the largest fleet of drones in the region.. supported by a military budget capable of operating and sustaining these drones.. And a fully equipped infrastructure..