Aisheng ASN-205

History of the ASON ASN-205

The ASON ASN-205 is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) UAV manufactured by China's Xi'an Technology Group Co., Ltd. This entry is the first of several related drones developed and built by the company for the Chinese military, including the ASN-206, its related artillery reconnaissance aircraft JWP01/JWP02, the evolved ASN-207, its WZ-6 The successor, the attack-oriented BZK-006 and its unarmed form, the DCK-006.

For its part, the ASN-205 is a UAV with a centralized fuselage nacelle containing all relevant operating systems, including avionics, optics and engines. The main aircraft is mounted above the fuselage as a shoulder-mounted attachment and uses a dual-arm tail arrangement with the arms connected by a common horizontal plane, each terminated by a vertical stabilizer.

The engine is located in the rear of the fuselage and drives the twin-blade propeller unit between the cantilevers. Since the ASN-205 was orbitally launched and accelerated using rocket boosters, the fuselage had no fixed landing gear, except for the landing skis for recovery.

ASN-205 is unarmed, as its sole purpose is to collect data on the terrain below. This includes real-time reconnaissance of enemy strength, location, concentration, and movement, and relaying this information (via an encrypted data link) to ground operators (and ultimately the commander) for verification.

The airborne system can also be used for artillery detection/correction, search and rescue (SAR) planning, and general flight-related research.

The product was unveiled in September 2009 and launched at the 60th National Day military parade. It remains active in China's unmanned aerial system (UAS) fleet.

Specification

BASICS

Year of Service

2009

Origins

China

Status

Active.

Crew

0

Production

250

Manufacturer

Xi'an Aisheng Technology Group Co., Ltd. (Northwestern Polytechnical University) - China

Carrier

China

Roles

Close Air Support (CAS)

Designed to operate near active ground elements with a wide range of air-to-surface weapon and ammunition options.

Special Mission: Search and Rescue (SAR)

Ability to locate and evacuate personnel from potentially hazardous or dangerous areas, such as downed pilots at sea.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Special Forces

Serve special forces/special operations forces and missions.

Unmanned

Aircraft designed (or later developed) have inherent unmanned capabilities and can fill a variety of battlefield roles.

Attention feature

Pusher bracket

The design features a rearward push rod arrangement in contrast to the more traditional pull rod arrangement.

Sturdy aircraft frame

The inherent ability of the airframe to take significant damage.

High performance

The ability to fly and operate at higher altitudes than the average aircraft of the day.

Extended range performance

Ability to travel long distances using on-board fuel supplies.

Seaport

Able to operate over the ocean and survive certain harsh marine environments.

Unmanned operation

The design features the ability to fly without a pilot, with actions controlled by onboard programming and/or ground operators.

Camera equipment

Payload supports photographic devices that provide still and/or live image/video results.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

12.5 feet

(3.80m)

Width/span

19.7 feet

(6.00m)

Height

4.6 feet

(1.40m)

Main Aircraft Structure

Monoplane/Shoulder/Straight

Monoplane

Designed to use a single main wing main aircraft; this is the most popular arrangement of main aircraft.

Shoulder

The main aircraft is mounted on the upper part of the fuselage, usually on an imaginary line that intersects the pilot's shoulders.

Straight

The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.

(Structural descriptors pertain to the base Aisheng ASN-205 production variant)

POWER & PERFORMANCE

Installed:

1 x Conventional engine driving twin-bladed propeller unit at rear of fuselage in pusher configuration.

Max Speed

124 mph

(200 kph | 108 kts)

Cruise Speed

109 mph

(175 kph | 94 kts)

Maximum Speed Diff

+16 mph

(+25 kph | 13 kts)

Ceiling

19,685 ft

(6,000 m | 4 mi)

Range

75 mi

(120 km | 222 nm)

RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

ARMAMENT

None. Payload reserved for optics and mission equipment related to the ISR role.