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Aisheng BZK-600

2009 MODERN AIRCRAFT DRONE TECHNOLOGY

History of Aisheng BZK-600

Part of the Chinese UAV Aisheng series is the BZK-006, which appears to be an evolution of the ASN-205/207 (WZ-6) series. It is believed to have been introduced in 2009 and seen during regular exercises with Chinese ground forces.

The BZK-600 is part of a broader effort by China to commission multiple drone types covering a variety of battlefield roles, with many designs coming from Chinese companies rather than foreign suppliers.

The drone is designed with a deep tubular fuselage to accommodate avionics, camera equipment, sensors and engines. The engine is mounted on the tail of the aircraft and is used to drive the multi-blade propeller unit in a "propeller" fashion. This makes the nose of the plane completely unobstructed by optics.

The front of the fuselage has a dome, which rests on a support structure. The wing main aircraft shoulders are mounted on the sides of the fuselage, with thin outriggers extending aft at each trailing edge. These legs each have a vertical rudder, connected by a common horizontal plane (elevator). The BZK-006 has no conventional landing gear, but is launched into the air via a rocket-assisted catapult (usually from the back seat of a Chinese military truck).

The plane lands on two slides attached to the belly.

The size of the BZK-006 is larger than its predecessor, the WZ-6, with a total length of 4.3 meters and a height of 1.5 meters. It is designed for use as an attack platform on the battlefield as an "Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle" (UCAV) to attack ground targets, with two underwing mount points per wing element.

These are used to launch air-to-surface missiles into the air to engage ground targets from a distance.

The plane can stay in the air for about 12 hours, giving it an excellent hovering ability.

At the time of writing (2019), it is unclear how many BZK-006s are in service. A well-known variant of the series is the BZK-600A model, although the differences between the two are also unknown.