Guizhou (AVIC) Sparrow Hawk II

Guizhou History (AVIC) Sparrowhawk II

Its design form was undoubtedly inspired by General Atomics' successful U.S. Predator series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Chinese Sparrowhawk II is an airborne system in development designed for surveillance, reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

Its payload consists of mission-specific optics and sensors, while propulsion is provided by a single engine that drives an array of three-bladed propellers in a "propeller" configuration. Like the Predator series, the engine is mounted in the rear of the fuselage. It also has a V-shaped tail and a long-span main wing. The fuselage is slim and flight-friendly, and a blister pack is installed under the fuselage to carry the payload.

The landing gear is drivable, so the drone must land and take off on a prepared runway.

Sparrowhawk II completed flight on August 1, 2011, while testing its dual payload remote sensing unit. The flight lasted 4.5 hours and proved successful.

The vehicle was photographed with underwing mount points and dummy missiles, showing the intent to turn the Sparrowhawk II into an unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) at some stage in its development.

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