China has unveiled a new unmanned aerial vehicle, or drone, that might be utilized to track the location of aircraft carriers of the United States in the Western Pacific. It might also be used to guide anti-ship ballistic missiles to their intended target.
The drone is called the Shen Diao, but it is also known as the “Divine Eagle”.
The Shenyang Aircraft Corporation and the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group are also working on two larger versions of the unmanned aircraft. The sizes of these work-in-progress drones are comparable to the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk that is used by the United States. That aircraft is also an unmanned drone. The main purpose of the Chinese drones will be to assist in reconnaissance missions that occur in the Asia-Pacific region of the world.
The Shen Diao, along with another aircraft, the Sky Wing III, is believed to be able to track large warships of the United States in waters that extend from the Philippines all the way to Alaska.
By using the Shen Diao and the Sky Wing III, the People’s Liberation Army of China and their Second Artillery Corps will be able to launch very precise attacks against warships of the United States using missiles.
Additionally, the Shen Diao can serve as a warning aircraft for the air force of the People’s Liberation Army. The Shen Diao contains a larger radar system than the Sky Wing III.
At the present time, China is unable to produce early warning aircrafts in large numbers. This is because China does not yet have the production capacity needed to do so. The Shen Diao might be able to change this for the country.
The unmanned aircrafts are not scheduled to enter into service until at least 2020. So far, the manufacturers have only designed a single prototype of the Shen Diao and the Sky Wing III.
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