Morocco’s Air Force Completes Training on Chinese Wing Loong II Drones

"The closing ceremony of the intensive training session that members of the Royal Air Force have followed on the Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicle system throughout the month of May was held yesterday (Saturday) in Chengdu, China," the FAR announced. This training follows the purchase by Morocco, seven months ago, of two units of this drone from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Before this acquisition, Morocco had four units of the Wing Loong I, the previous model, which were given to it by the United Arab Emirates, recalls Info Defensa.

The Wing Loong II drone is capable of lifting up to 480 kilos and carrying laser-guided bombs and missiles. It has an endurance of 20 hours, can reach a maximum speed of 379 km/h and its operational range is 1,500 kilometers. The aircraft is equipped with a satellite communication system and an electro-optical payload capsule, allowing it to collect surveillance and guidance data, day and night, explains the China Defence portal.

The Wing Loong II also has intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems. Larger than the previous model, it has a length of 11 meters, a wingspan of 20.5 m and a height of 4.1 meters.