How the WZ-2000 became China's first unmanned combat air vehicle?

Model of WZ-2000

A former executive of China National Guizhou Aviation Industry Group has revealed how the WZ-2000 became China's first industrially manufactured multi-purpose attack unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) a decade ago.

In an interview with the Chinese-language Guizhou Daily, Yang Shaowen, now a member of China's national unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) expert team, described how the WZ-2000 was developed virtually from scratch in Guizhou until its maiden test flight on Dec. 26, 2003.Explaining that the development of the WZ-2000 had to be kept under wraps for the last 10 years, Yang said his inspiration for building a domestic UAV came out of the Kosovo War. After the United States and NATO employed UAVs at the outbreak of the war in March 1999, Guizhou Aviation chairman Zhou Wancheng, and Yang, who was the company's aircraft design chief at the time, became convinced that unmanned vehicles are the future of modern warfare.

Several months later, Yang looked into the local UAV market and was told that Guizhou was not equipped to research or develop the technology and in any case did not have the requisite market or customer channels. Yang added that Guizhou Aviation was the ninth company in China to tackle UAVs, with none of those that came before it ever successfully carrying out a test flight.

This did not deter Yang, Guizhou Aviation and its parent company, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, forming alliances with other organizations spearheading UAV research and development in China, including top universities, aviation companies and military research organizations.

A mock up of the WZ-2000 was publicly displayed at the 2000 Zhuhai Airshow, with a more accurate model on display at the 2002 event.The maiden test flight was scheduled for Mao Zedong's birthday on Dec. 26, in 2003. The planned 27-minute test flight lasted 74 minutes after the vehicle had difficulty reading its actual height from the ground, though by the end the UCAV managed to complete several flight maneuvers before a successful landing.

The flight was witnessed by Zhang Xiang, then-deputy commander of the Second Artillery Corps of the People's Liberation Army, as well as other military personnel. Zhang said although the test flight was imperfect, this was expected of new technology, adding that he was impressed with how the testers remained calm when the flight ran into difficulties.

The test flight instilled a lot of confidence in Guizhou Aviation, which surprised many by being the first in the country to do it. After finally earning military approval, Guizhou Aviation, which by then had a dedicated research team of more than 100 people, received its first UAC order in 2005, helping boost funding from a meager 1 million yuan (US$1.65 million) by an additional 10 million (US$16.5 million).

By 2008, the WZ-2000 officially became China's first UAV in industrial production.The second generation WZ-2000 has reportedly undergone significant improvements. On Nov. 13, 2009 in Lanzhou, the capital of northwest China's Gansu province, the WZ-2000 fired its first ammunition, which was reportedly just 1.2 meters off the target from a distance of several thousand meters."In the UAV sector, the most technologically advanced are the US, the UK and China. As for seeing China's most advanced UAV, you'll have to come to Guizhou," Yang said.