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Wing Loong
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Wing Loong

AVIC's family of Chinese medium-altitude armed drones, widely exported to Gulf and African air forces.

AVIC's Wing Loong drones won Gulf and African buyers while Washington restricted armed-drone exports until July 2020; the larger Wing Loong II, first shown at Zhuhai in 2016, launched with the UAE.

Last refreshed: 26 October 2026

Key Question

Did US export limits hand the armed-drone market to China's Wing Loong?

Timeline for Wing Loong

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Background

Wing Loong is one of the two drone families buyers turned to while Washington restricted armed-drone exports under its reading of the Missile Technology Control Regime; the other was Turkey's TB2. The United States eased that reading in July 2020, after rivals had filled the gap. By 2026 munitions for such drones had become a market of their own, which the UAE's EDGE Group entered with its October deal to arm Morocco's drones.

Wing Loong (also called Pterodactyl) is a family of medium-altitude, long-endurance armed drones developed by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The Wing Loong I was sold to the UAE, Kazakhstan and Indonesia. The larger Wing Loong II, first shown at Zhuhai in 2016, has the UAE as launch customer and has been reported with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Nigeria. Pakistan agreed with China in 2018 to build it, the South China Morning Post reported. Iran said it shot one down over Shiraz in April 2026.

Operators publish little about these drones, so their lists rest partly on wreckage and investigations. The family remains China's main armed-drone export alongside CASC's Rainbow series.

Common Questions
What is the Wing Loong drone?
Wing Loong is a family of Chinese medium-altitude, long-endurance armed drones developed by state-owned AVIC. The larger Wing Loong II first appeared at the Zhuhai airshow in 2016.Source: AVIC
Which countries use the Wing Loong II?
The UAE was the launch customer. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Pakistan and Nigeria are reported operators, though most buyers publish little about it.Source: SCMP / Janes
Why did countries buy Chinese armed drones instead of American ones?
For years the US restricted armed-drone exports under its reading of the Missile Technology Control Regime, so buyers turned to China's Wing Loong and Turkey's TB2. Washington eased that reading in July 2020.Source: US State Department
Source Material
China, Pakistan sign deal to build 48 strike-capable Wing Loong II dronesWing Loong II: China's MALE drone after the Shiraz shootdown

Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 26 October 2026. Editorial standards.