China's new Wing Loong 3 drone has an intercontinental range and can be armed with a wide range of bombs and missiles, including air-to-air. The UAV is due to make its maiden flight in the near future.

First unveiled at the Airshow China 2022 in Zhuhai, the Wing Loong 3 drone is capable of intercontinental flights and long-range missions, the Global Times wrote.

Compared with other domestic and foreign armed reconnaissance drones of medium altitude and long flight time, the Wing Loong 3 is the heaviest, said Zhou Yi, chief designer of the Wing Loong 3.

Inheriting the traditional aerodynamic design of the Wing Loong series, with a pair of straight wings with great extension and a set of V-shaped tail wings for very high aerodynamic quality, the wingspan of Wing Loong 3 is very large at 24 meters. According to the drone's developer, it will meet the needs of Chinese and foreign users for inter-regional long-range flights and extended missions.

The drone is characterized by its long range, large payload and multi-purpose capabilities. According to Zhou, the Wing Loong 3's key performance characteristics, including range, endurance and cruising altitude, are the highest in the world.

The Dorn can carry many different types of payloads, including anti-radio missiles, guided glide bombs, sonar buoy units, cluster bombs, communications reconnaissance unit, guided missiles, sonar reconnaissance units, barrage munitions and even air-to-air missiles The U.S. Army's air-to-air missile capability makes it a drone capable of aerial combat.

Analysts say it can perform military and civilian missions, including inter-regional armed reconnaissance, joint support, confrontation warfare and rescue operations.

With all development procedures on track, the Wing Loong 3 is expected to make its maiden flight soon and reach operational readiness as soon as possible, Zhou said.