Advanced weapon systems make debut

China North Industries Group Corp, the country's biggest maker of land armaments, is promoting a package of advanced weapon systems that enable customers to deploy unmanned aerial vehicles in combat or defend against hostile UAVs.

At a live-fire show on Monday in Baotou, an industrial powerhouse in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the State-owned defense conglomerate, commonly known as Norinco, displayed several new or upgraded types of military drones and counter-UAV weapons.

The major drone system highlighted at the daylong show was the BZK-005E, a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft.

The new drone, which is based on the BZK-005 model, is able to operate in different weather conditions and complex environments, and can undertake various tasks, mainly involving surveillance and reconnaissance over target zones.

It measures about 10 meters long, with a wingspan of 18 meters, and has a maximum takeoff weight of 1.5 metric tons. The drone can fly up to 180 kilometers per hour and is capable of carrying 370 kilograms of mission payloads, such as electro-optical pods, synthetic aperture radar, communication devices and electronic countermeasure equipment.

The robotic plane can be assigned to multiple branches of the military to conduct a variety of campaign-level tasks, such as intelligence gathering and battlefield monitoring.

The CR500B, another pilotless aircraft, is a multipurpose helicopter capable of carrying various mission payloads such as ammunition and electro-optical equipment. It is used to perform tactical tasks including battlefield reconnaissance, target positioning, laser designation guidance, precision strikes and damage assessment.

The aircraft features vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, short combat preparation time, and strong adaptability to battlefield environments, and it can operate in plateau areas.

Having seen the heavy use of loitering munition weapons — UAVs that can maintain a holding pattern in the air while scanning for targets — in recent conflicts around the world, Norinco has developed a number of such systems to meet demand in the international arms market.

During Monday's event, the defense contractor featured the FL-30 loitering munition system, which is designed for beyond-visual-range, real-time reconnaissance and precision strike missions.

It can be launched from various platforms such as ground combat vehicles and naval vessels. It primarily executes combat operations including distributed network reconnaissance, persistent loitering deterrence, targeted elimination and large-scale swarm attacks.

In terms of counter-UAV capability, Norinco displayed at the show several types of systems ranging from air-defense missiles to self-propelled anti-aircraft guns.

Besides the conventional weapons, the company showed a laser system developed for neutralizing drone threats. The OW5 vehicle-mounted laser weapon system integrates multiple detection methods, such as radar and electro-optical apparatus, capable of spotting and tracking targets rapidly and accurately. Laser weapons require no ammunition supply, offer rapid strike capability and have high accuracy, according to designers.

Xiao Ning, chief editor of Weapon magazine, said that recent conflicts have testified to the growing importance of unmanned platforms and their influence on the results of a conflict.

Much of today's advanced land hardware has been equipped with small drones, providing advantages such as longer detection range and a clearer understanding of battlefield situations, he said.

"The flying gadgets also help to reduce their carriers' reliance on command center information, thus allowing for higher operational independence," he added.