This is the Wuzhen-8, China’s hypersonic drone that could shoot down US fighters with suicide attacks
This morning, news agencies around the world echoed the response of the Taiwan Armed Forces before the incursion of some drones supposedly controlled from China. The island’s Ministry of Defense has confirmed that they carried out shots fired at three drones that entered their airspace. From the institution they have not identified its origin, although they have explained that the three aircraft they withdrew in the direction of the Chinese city of Xiamen.
The 180 kilometers of Taiwan Strait they are not enough to calm the concerns on the island. The visit to Taipei of the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, last August, was read from Beijing as a veiled threat to the claims of the Asian giant to once again unify the island. China responded with more (and more daring) military maneuvers in the area… with the aim of making it clear that it continues to have its sovereignty claims over Taiwan very much in mind.
the open challenge posed in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin to the geopolitical hegemony of NATO and -above all- the United States… has made it clear that the western powers they no longer inspire enough respect in their rivals. Y Taiwan is a key piece in the next fight for world hegemony… in which China is also the protagonist. This is one of the most powerful weapons with which his army will count:
The Wuzhen-8 drone
The “WZ-8″, “Wuzhen-8″ or “DR-8″ drone made its first official appearance on October 1, 2019, during the Chinese National Day military parade. In an article published by the South China Morning Post (SCMP) after his first appearance it is stated: “The DR-8 is expected to play a key role in case of conflict with US carrier strike groups in the South China Sea or the Western Pacific.
According to the results of the analyzes carried out so far, it would be a reconnaissance aircraft high-altitude flight. Although in that article quoted Chinese military affairs analyst Zhou Chenming as saying that the Whuzen-8 could “travel faster than the DF-21 ballistic missile (whose top speed is Mach 3.3), penetrate enemy air defenses and return intact with intelligence”.
If this were true, it would mean that the aircraft would touch Mach 4… which is a almost hypersonic speed. It is so fast that some have raised the possibility that these aircraft can easily hit targets as difficult as the American F-22 and F-35 fighters… through suicide attacks.
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One of the most striking aspects of the drone is that it has two loops at the top of the fuselage, similar to an anchor mechanism that seems to indicate that -probably- it would be launched from an airplane. If indeed the DR-8 were launched from the air, the H-6K and H-6N bombers they would be the most suitable to transport it. Because these bombers are the only ones available to the Chinese Armed Forces capable of accommodating such a heavy and large drone.
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