A video has emerged of China’s unorthodox Wuzhen-9 (or WZ-9) “Divine Eagle” unmanned aircraft, which has been described in social media posts as an uncrewed AEW (Airborne Early Warning) aircraft. The drone has been seen previously in scale models and satellite images.
The sighting comes close on the heels of Beijing flying two new claimed sixth-generation aircraft – a regional stealth bomber and a smaller fighter jet. This also displays how the PLA is realizing its vision of a heavily “mechanized” and automated military, as advocated in its successive defense white papers.The unusual design integrates radar arrays in its booms, as well as satellite communication, which would allow the PLA to create a networked mesh of manned and unmanned AEW assets, offering redundancy and flexibility.
Design and Possible Features
The massive UAV is seen flying overhead, clearly showing its unusual design. The aircraft is based around a twin-boom structure, with a smaller wing acting as horizontal stabilizer in the front and the main wing in the rear, and two vertical stabilizers. The main wing also connects the two booms/fuselages.
Scale models, concept renditions and satellite images posted on X earlier this year show that the drone is powered by a single jet engine, sitting atop the main wing between the two booms and vertical stabilizers.
The front part of both booms (or in this case the fuselages) have domes, as seen in the cutaway small-scale model bearing the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC) logo. One of the domes is carrying what looks like a satellite communication antenna dish.
While only one of the fuselages is shown carrying this antenna, it is possible they might be present in both of them, given the sheer size of the drone. This could serve as a fail-safe in case one malfunctions, but both might also function together for a stronger control signal to avoid jamming.
The sides of the fuselages seem to house the radar arrays. Another image, posted by leading Chinese military analysis profile ‘sugar_wsnbn’ on X, is a computer-generated illustration showing the WZ-9 in flight, sporting a yellow paint scheme. The scale model and this illustration appear exactly the same, with little discernible differences.
However, the aperture and sensors’ placement around the drone are not visible in the latest video of the overhead flight. Also, it is not clear if the drone has flown before or was only captured on camera for the first time. Whether the drone is fully or semi-autonomous, and eventually the degree of man-in-the-loop control, or other features like optical and electronic sensing devices also are not known.
Larger manned airborne radars today also have other functions like coordinating with ground-based air defense systems and even guiding BVR (Beyond Visual-Range) missiles fired from manned fighters. The Meteor BVRAAM, for instance, can receive target updates from friendly AWACS/AEW&C after leaving its launching aircraft.
Source: The Aviationist