CHINA EXPORTS UNMANNED RECONNAISSANCE PLANES
( KWIC Dec. 21 John Wu) the Aisheng Technology Group of Xi'an exhibited an
ASN-206 unmanned reconnaissance plane it produced. With a six-wheeled
launching carrier, this plane is mainly used for the battlefield
reconnaissance to help improve the overall capability of the C31 in the
ground battlefield. In the outside appearance and the performance, this
plane is basically close to the Israeli-made "Pioneer" unmanned
reconnaissance plane. Installed on the stabilization stand at the lower
middle part of the plane, the TV camera which is remotely controlled by the
people on the ground can scan around horizontally at an angle of 360
degrees through the lens located in the half-circled cabin lid at the lower
middle part of the plane. There is a wide range allowable for the
adjustment of the field of vision. In light of the different tasks it
carries out, the plane can also be equipped with the infrared camera,
thermal camera, laser tracking system, and laser ranging finder etc.. Its
functions include the aerial reconnaissance at night, the reconnaissance
through TV and infrared cameras, target positioning, ELINT, and ECM etc..
The maximum weight of the plane when it takes off is 222 kilograms (vs. 195
kilograms, the bracketed data are for the Israeli-made Pioneer
reconnaissance plane.) and its maximum carrying capacity is 50 kilograms
(vs. 45 kilograms). At an average flight speed of 210 kilometers per hour
(vs. 185 kilometers) and with a controllable radius of 150 kilometers (vs.
135 to 200 kilometers), the plane can reach an altitude of 6000 meters (vs.
4575 meters) and can continuously fly for four to eight hours (vs. six to
nine hours).
Judged from the relevant article in the "PLA Daily News Paper" (PLA:
People's Liberation Army), the similar unmanned aircraft reconnaissance
system has been used in the Chinese ground army. In the meantime, the
Chinese ground army has also established a research institute exclusively
for the battlefield reconnaissance of the unmanned planes. This research
institute is located inside the Hefei Artillery Academy.
The above-mentioned unmanned reconnaissance system is being promoted to
Turkey. The Turkish National Defence Agency plans to spend 350 million US
dollars on the purchase and cooperative production of the unmanned
reconnaissance planes. Now the international tender invitation is underway.
The "Aisheng Technology Group of Xi'an" has officially submitted its plan
for the cooperative production. Turkey plans to purchase 23 to 37 unmanned
reconnaissance plane systems, each of which consists of six unmanned planes
and one ground control station.
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