File image.
A combat drone shot down by Iranian air defenses on April 2 turned out to be a Chinese-made Wing Loong II, a type operated by both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
The drone was shot close to the city of Shiraz, the capital of the southern province of Fars. It was initially identified by Iranian state media as an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone of the United States military. However, photos of the wreckage revealed that the drone was in fact a Wing Loong II.
One of the photos shows a part of one of the wings, with an antenna below, identical to the drone made by China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.
Click to see full-size image. (Tasnim News Agency)
Click to see full-size image. (Tasnim News Agency)
Needless to say, neither the U.S. or Israel militias operate Wing Loong II drones. Among the closest known operators of this type are Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Jennifer Griffin, Fox News’ Chief National Security Correspondent, later reported that the drone was not sent by Saudi Arabia, leaving the UAE as the last suspected operator.
“I am told by a senior Saudi official that this drone was not a Saudi drone and did not fly out of any base in Saudi Arabia,” Griffin wrote on X.
Wing Loong II was developed for use as an aerial reconnaissance and precision strike platform. It has an endurance of 32 hours and an operational range of up to 4,000 kilometers. The drone is capable of carrying up to 12 guided missiles and has a maximum speed of 370 kilometers per hour. In addition, it can be equipped with a satellite data-link that provides it with a long range strike capability.
The UAE was the launch customer of the Wing Loong II, reportedly purchasing a few dozen, with deliveries beginning in 2017.
It has since used these drones to support its allies in Libya, and more recently in Sudan, all while maintaining plausible deniability.
The UAE has taken the brunt of Iranian retaliatory strikes since the start of the American-Israeli war on the Islamic Republic more than a month ago, with Iranian missiles and drones hitting everything from military bases, to civilian infrastructure, energy facilities, and factories.
The country was also among the worst impacted by the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which began with the war.
In recent days, the UAE’s criticism of Iran became sharper, and one recent report by The Washington Post said that the country is ready to help the U.S. and other allies in using military force to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. An Emirate official later denied these claims, describing the report as “misleading”.
“Recent reporting suggesting a shift in the UAE’s posture is misleading,” the official said in a statement. “The UAE maintains a defensive posture focused on protecting its sovereignty, its people, and its infrastructure, and reserves its right to self-defense in response to ongoing unlawful and unprovoked attacks.”
The official added that the UAE “remains ready to support collective international efforts aimed at safeguarding maritime security and ensuring the uninterrupted flow of commerce. Any such engagement would have to be conducted in full coordination with international partners and in strict adherence to international law.
Still, the downing of the Wing Loong II over Iranian territories is strong evidence of a more proactive role by the UAE in the ongoing war.
Iran has not yet commented on the matter, but it is expected to respond in a very harsh way if the UAE was indeed behind the drone.
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iran’s largest bridge has been cut. why is valdmyr waldimi0bitch pussin not grow some bolls and cut the big bridges on the diaper river already.
little vlady pussin has tiny little pee pee too and very tiny cotton soft balls.
china men have little pee pees. they will never take taiwan.
they took your mom, that’s for shure.
perhaps the uae is filling in after the usadmin lost 16 of their drones over the last few months? either way i’m sure the iran military is grateful of the practice, of which lots makes perfect. the talk is that the iranian admin have said they have expended about 5% of their capability, so there is lots more on the menu for the isreali apartheid regime and its little helpers.
if uae join in there will definetly be a regime change in uae.