Upgraded combat drone completes maiden flight

The Wing Loong 1 and 2 have been very popular on the international arms market and have been sold to many countries, Wu said.

According to foreign media reports, the combat drones' users are mainly in Africa and the Middle East, including Nigeria, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates. Some Wing Loong 1s have also been exported to Serbia.

In addition to military clients, AVIC has also built several civilian models based on the Wing Loong 2 and Wing Loong 10 combat drones to serve in emergency response, communication relay, weather forecasting and other public service operations.

The world's first large drone dedicated to weather modification, the Ganlin 1－based on the Wing Loong 2－conducted its first test flight in January last year in Gansu province.

The Wing Loong 2H, another Wing Loong 2-based model, played a major role in July in the effort to restore communication services and survey conditions in several parts of Henan province that were severely affected by heavy rain and flooding.