Chinese aerospace firm files patent for faster, more stable way to launch military drones
- Avic Chengdu’s system uses air pressure to catapult a UAV into flight without emitting light, sound or exhaust
- Its creators say it could help China to develop a mechanism similar to those used by armed forces elsewhere
The new launch system uses air pressure to catapult a drone into flight without emitting light, sound or exhaust which – unlike using rocket boosters – keeps troops hidden from adversaries.
That is according to a Chinese patent application from state-owned Avic Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group, which was published last week.
The company’s Wing Loong I and Wing Loong II medium-altitude long-endurance drones are the basis of the GJ-1 and GJ-2 armed reconnaissance drones used by China’s air force.
Drones – or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – are used to observe, monitor and attack targets in battlefields without endangering personnel and are cheaper to produce and operate than conventional aircraft.
“Achieving unmanned aerial vehicle catapults that can support high-mass and fast take-offs is a key problem that needs to be solved urgently,” the patent application reads. “Developing domestic UAV pneumatic catapult-assisted take-off equipment is an important development.”