Beijing’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Aviation Industry Corporation of China delivered its 100th Wing Loong reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial system for export.

On 24 December, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) delivered its 100th domestically-developed unmanned Wing Loong unmanned aircraft for an undisclosed customer.

“The aircraft marks the transformation of China’s aviation equipment from manned to unmanned, entering the world’s high-end drone market,” said Tan Ruisong, chairman of AVIC.

The state-owned AVIC started to export the Wing Loong series of aircraft in 2010. The aircraft has been widely used in anti-terrorist operations, security patrols and aerial detection.

In February last year, Chinese state news agency Xinhua also said that the country’s domestically developed military drones had won their largest ever overseas order from an undisclosed customer.

The Wing Loong, also known as Yilong-1, is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle, developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group in the People’s Republic of China. Intended for use as a surveillance and aerial reconnaissance platform, the Pterodactyl I is capable of being fitted with air-to-surface weapons for use in an unmanned combat aerial vehicle role.