China's Wing Loong I-D drone makes maiden flight

[Video source: CCTV]

The Wing Loong I-D, China's first multipurpose drone completely made of composites, took off for the first time on Sunday from an airport in western China, reports Chinanews.com.

The unmanned aerial vehicle flew for 30 minutes as planned.

Developed by Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a subsidiary of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the Wing Loong I-D is the latest model of the Wing Loong family, a high-end reconnaissance-strike drone series independently developed by China.

The Wing Loong I-D, China's first multipurpose drone completely made of composites, takes off from an airport in western China on Sunday, December 23, 2018. [Photo: huanqiu.com]

The Wing Loong I-D has improved features including takeoff weight, ceiling, endurance, communication, internal carriage and external stores compared to other drones.

The Wing Loong I-D can play an important role in security missions like intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, border patrols, and the fight against drug trafficking and smuggling. Moreover, it is capable in the civilian domain, such as in resource surveys and pipeline inspections, as well as disaster monitoring and evaluation.