Wing Loong II side view, Dubai Air Show 2017. By Wikimedia user (Mztourist)
The Moroccan military has purchased an unspecified number of Wing Loong II from China, the French International Defense & Security (DIS) magazine, which is specialized in defense, armament and geostrategy, revealed in its November issue.
The Wing Loon II was developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group for use as an aerial reconnaissance and precision strike platform. It has an endurance of 32 hours and an operational range of up to 4,000 kilometers.
The combat drone is capable of carrying up to 12 anti-tank guided missiles and has a maximum speed of 370 kilometers per hour. Furthermore, the drone can be equipped with a satellite data-link that provides it with a long range strike capability.
Click to see full-size image.
DSI didn’t provide any details on the Moroccan-Chinese drone deal, which was not likely the first of its kind. In 2020, Morocco received four Wing Loong combat drones from the less capable first generation. At the time, it was reported that the drones were a gift from the United Arab Emirates.
Morocco have been working to build a large drone force. Over the last two years, the kingdom purchased dozens of drones, including IAI Herons from Israel, Bayraktar TB2s from Turkey and MQ-1 Predator XP from the United States.
The new drone deal came amid growing tensions in the disputed Western al-Sahara region. Morocco has been fighting the Algerian-backed Polisario Front in the region since the 1970s.
May the wars between the Muslim factions never end.
Asian vs Asian? European vs European?
The war/s in the Middle East and Africa aren’t that bloody (big) and most of those wars are back/start with the US, EU, and Israel clowns.
Are those who profess a Middle Eastern religion governing the aforementioned institutions.
Yes, these Middle Eastern religions only bring war and misery as history shows.
How dumb can you really be.
It seems pilots for combat missions will soon be a thing of the past. Unless something happens to the satellites which give these drones their range. I’ll bet that any playstation player could operate these drones given a little training.
They will one day be hacked and the cargo sent back to the owner.
The US Patriot missile has that capability as a feature.
i guess morocco will be next superpower with that trash
Why Russia dont have same with stealth tech? Easy to scan ground of troop movement and find those himars and take them out with Kaliber?
They have but cannot show their future enemies their technology when the conflict so far revolves around peacekeeping forces.