Wing Loong I

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Wing Loong I
ucav_wing_loong_i.png
GarageImage Wing Loong I.jpg
Wing Loong I

Description

The Wing Loong I is a Chinese strike UCAV. It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 1 000 m220 km/h
Turn time22 s
Max altitude7 500 m
EngineSNECMA Atar 9C
Type
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight1 t
Max speed
(km/h at 1,000 m)
Max altitude
(metres)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(metres/second)
Take-off run
(metres)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
220 220 7500 22.0 22.0 2.5 2.5 250

Details

Features
Combat flaps Take-off flaps Landing flaps Air brakes Arrestor gear
X X X X X
Limits
Wings (km/h) Gear (km/h) Flaps (km/h) Max Static G
Combat Take-off Landing + -
390 450 N/A N/A N/A ~__ ~__
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< ___ < ___ < ___ > ___

Survivability and armour

Crew0 people
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear450 km/h

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Suspended armament

Main article: AKD-9

The Wing Loong I can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • 2 x AKD-9 missiles

Usage in battles

Like other available Strike UCAVs in the game, Wing Long I is available to all players playing ground battles and is beneficial to players who have not researched BR appropriate aircraft or helicopters.

You start off by spawning at an altitude of 4000 meters above the battlefield. Priority targets should be the enemy SPAA to allow your team's air support to fly without resistance. Enemy SPAAs are usually found stationary at the enemy spawn, though be aware of those moving closer to the frontlines as well. If there are no SPAA around, your next target would be enemy tanks that are near/on the capture points. Once you fire both AKD-9 missiles, you have three options:

  1. Loiter over the battlefield and provide reconnaissance: Just because you can no longer use your missiles doesn't mean you can't help your team! Fly around the battlefield and scan the area with your amazing optical camera. Once you spot any enemy vehicles that pose a threat to your team, quickly mark them on the map and tell your teammates using the in-game chat (alternatively if you have any squad mates, you can work with them and point out enemies nearby using the squad marker)
  2. Land and rearm: Once the two ATGM's are used, reduce your throttle and glide towards the airbase. Once you land, begin any repairs and necessary rearming so you can take off. It should be worth noting that the UCAVs suffers from a low speed and a horrid climb rate, making the return to base and return to the battlefield incredibly lengthy. In terms of battlefield survival, the drone's altitude is its only saving grace, as helicopters/attack aircraft will generally be at lower altitudes and SPAA's will have no trouble sending a very slow target back to the hangar screen. Consequently, fighting at low altitudes should be regarded as a suicide mission.
  3. Bail out of the vehicle and spawn in a more capable vehicle: While it feels counterintuitive to bail out of a vehicle that cost 750 spawn points, it is the fastest and best way to get you back into the battle. Using the spawn points you accumulated from the carnage your two missiles scored, you can get enough to spawn another tank, an attack aircraft, or a helicopter. The advantage of this is that you should have cleared the path for you or other pilots to make some damage, as the SPAA's and anti-air threats are no longer there.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Spawns at altitude (4000 meters)
  • Access to two devastating AKD-9 missiles
  • Exceptional optical camera
  • Hard to counter by SPAA
  • Available to everyone to use

Cons:

  • Low max speed
  • Horrid climb rate
  • Access to only two ATGM's for a price higher than most helicopters and attack aircraft (which can carry more ATGM's)
  • A large amount of time will be spent going from spawn to the airfield to rearm and back

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

  • topic on the official game forum;
  • other literature.


Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (中航工业成都飞机工业集团)
Jet Fighters 
J-7  J-7II* · J-7D · J-7E
J-10  J-10A
JF-17  JF-17**
Drones  Wing Loong I
  *Unlicensed and reverse-engineered version of the MiG-21.
  **Jointly developed and built by Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group and Pakistan Aeronautical Complex.
See Also  Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau · Pakistan Aeronautical Complex

Strike UCAVs
USA  MQ-1
USSR  Orion
China  Wing Loong I