중국의 윙룽-10 UAV가 해안선을 따라 베트남 EEZ를 비행

[위종민]

지난 수요일 윙룽-10 (WZ-10) UAV가 하이난섬을 떠서 베트남 해안선을 따라 편도 800km 가량의 비행을 실시했네요. 플라이트레이다24에서 공개한 항적자료로는 캄란항에서 160km~170km 떨어진 곳까지 접근했다고 하고,  비행구역 중 일부가 호치민 항공관제구역에 해당됐었다고 합니다.  ADS-B 켜고 대놓고 날아다녔네요. 

베트남 정부는 최근 중국의 드론 비행에 대해 아무런 답변을 하지 않았습니다.

China flies drone along Vietnam’s coast — Radio Free Asia (rfa.org)

China flies drone along Vietnam’s coast

China flies drone along Vietnam’s coast

A Chinese military drone made a loop inside Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone on Wednesday.

By RFA Staff
2024.08.07

The WZ-10 intercepted by the Japanese Air Force on May 27, 2024. (Japan Ministry of Defense)

Japan Ministry of Defense

A Chinese military drone flew close to Vietnam’s coast early on Wednesday, the second known such incident this month, according to publicly available tracking data.

Data provided by Flightradar24, a Swedish flight tracker, shows that a Wing Loong-10 unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, flew from China’s Hainan island into space over Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). It followed a path along the coastline for about 800 kilometers (500 miles) before turning around near Phan Rang province.

Using the call sign 00CA6181 and HEX code 783132, the drone is likely the WZ-10 unmanned aircraft that was reportedly spotted on Aug. 2, also close to Vietnam’s coast.

A HEX code, also called a ICAO 24-bit address, is a unique identification number given by the International Civil Aviation Organization, and is different for every aircraft.

At some point, the WZ-10 was 160 km-170 km (100-106 miles) from Cam Ranh, a strategic deep-water seaport and an important Vietnam’s naval base.

Path of China’s WZ-10 UAV on Aug. 7, 2024. (Flightradar24)

An EEZ is a maritime area measured 200 nautical miles (370 km) from a country’s coast. The space above it is international space but part of it falls within Ho Chi Minh City’s flight information region where Vietnam provides flight information service.

The Vietnamese government has not made any comment on the recent Chinese drone sightings. 

Radio Free Asia was not immediately able to contact relevant Chinese authorities for comment. It was also not able to determine if China had flown such UAVs near Vietnam before this month.

A Vietnamese coast guard ship is in Manila this week and is expected to conduct the first-ever joint drills with the Philippine coast guard on Friday. Both countries have territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea, the vast majority of which Beijing claims.

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Reconnaissance drone

The WZ-10 is a high-altitude, long-endurance UAV developed by Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute for reconnaissance purposes. It’s said to have a wingspan of about 20 meters (65 feet), a length of about 9 meters (30 feet), and a height of approximately 4 meters (13 feet). 

The WZ-10 is believed to be able to operate at altitudes up to 49,000 feet (14,900 meters) – much higher than commercial aircraft - with a flight time of 20 hours at a cruising speed of 330 knots. 

On May 27, the Japanese defense ministry said that the Japan Air Self-Defence Force intercepted a WZ-10 UAV from China flying near Okinawa for the first time amid rising tension between the neighbors in the East China Sea.

“The WZ-10 is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle, so potentially it can carry missiles,” said Jyh-Shyang Sheu, a military expert at Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research.

“The deployment of such a drone can be for both reconnaissance and political purposes, perhaps to give some warnings or coercion signals,” Sheu said, “China always shows its muscles to neighbors and UAVs can be used as a tool for gray zone tactics.”

Gray zone warfare is not an act of war but a means to coerce that is harmful to the security of the target country.

The Chinese military has flown reconnaissance and strike drones near Taiwan in the past. In September 2022, China sent UAVs almost every day to Kinmen island in the Taiwan Strait.

Sheu said the drones sent to Taiwan were of different types and China, one of the largest drone manufacturers in the world, is increasingly using them.

Editing by Taejun Kang.

[Minowski(김유철)]

중국의 드론들이 곳곳에서 활약(?)하네요. WZ-7은 KADIZ도 침범하고, 대만도 들쑤시고...
플랫폼으로서의 신뢰도 역시 상당히 확보된 듯 하고...

[위종민]

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