Japan reports first sighting of new PLA combat drone over East China Sea

Japanese Ministry of Defence says it monitored the WZ-10 UAV flying near Okinawa within air defence zone
The news comes on the same day Tokyo says Chinese ships have sailed near disputed Diaoyu Islands for a record 158 consecutive days

China’s military

Cyril Ip

Published: 8:23pm, 28 May 2024

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Japan said it spotted a new model of unmanned Chinese combat drone above waters near Okinawa in the East China Sea – the shallow expanse that Tokyo earlier claimed had been visited by Chinese ships every day this year.

Japan’s Ministry of Defence said on Monday that it had, for the first time, monitored a WZ-10 military drone from the Wing Loong-10 family over the East China Sea, north of Japan’s far southwestern prefecture of Okinawa.

The WZ-10 was reportedly flying eastwards from China, taking a northeasterly course before returning along the same route.

In a statement shared on X, formerly Twitter, Japan’s Joint Staff Office, which oversees the country’s maritime, ground and air self-defence forces, said fighter jets were sent from the Southwestern Air Command Support Flight – a unit of the air force based at the Naha Air Base in Okinawa.

“This was the first time that this aircraft was spotted in an airspace violation response by the Japanese Navy,” the post read, without naming the aircraft sent to monitor the drone.

The airspace where the drone was spotted lies beyond Japan’s territory but is within its air defence identification zone (ADIZ), where Tokyo tries to identify, locate, and control aircraft in the interest of national security.

The WZ-10 is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for reconnaissance and precision strike missions. It entered service in November 2022.

The high-altitude, long-endurance aircraft can operate at altitudes of up to 15,000 metres (49,000 feet) with an endurance of 20 hours at a speed of 620km/h (385mph).

It is said to have a wingspan of around 20 metres, a length of about 9 metres, and a height of close to 4 metres (13 feet), according to the China Defence website.

China produces the streamlined model for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force as well as for export customers. Saudi Arabia in February bought the Wing Loong-10B export variant of the UAV during the World Defence Show 2024 in Riyadh.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (left), South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (centre) and Chinese Premier Li Qiang attend a joint press conference following talks in Seoul on Monday. Photo: Kyodo

Tokyo’s report came shortly after a top Japanese government spokesman said that Chinese ships sailed near disputed islands in the East China Sea for a record 158 consecutive days – surpassing the previous record of 157 days in 2021.

The Diaoyu Islands – also claimed by Japan, where they are known as the Senkaku Islands – have long been a sore point between the countries. About half of the remote archipelago overlaps with both China’s ADIZ and the Japanese ADIZ.

The drone sighting comes as Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul resumed a trilateral summit that had been suspended for more than four years. It was attended by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who released a statement agreeing to keep supply chains stable and to work together on the Korean peninsula’s denuclearisation.

It also came days after Beijing wrapped up two days of military drills around Taiwan, which it said were aimed at “punishing” separatist forces, following the election of the island’s new leader, William Lai Ching-te. Beijing has accused Lai of sending a “dangerous signal” on Taiwan independence during his inauguration speech.

Beijing hit out at Tokyo over the past week after it congratulated Lai on taking office.