Morocco’s arsenal of armed drones continues to grow. Rabat has acquired two units of the Chinese Wing Loong II UAV, drones whose previous version (the Wing Loong I) was already in the possession of the country’s Armed Forces. The media outlet Defense Arab has already posted on Twitter a video of one of these UAVs flying.
The Wing Loong II is designed and manufactured by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The drone has a maximum payload capacity of 400 kilos and is capable of carrying up to 12 bombs or laser-guided missiles. The system has a range of 20 hours and can reach a speed of 379 kilometers per hour. Its operational range is 1,500 km and it is equipped with a satellite communication system.
China revealed its second version of the Wing Loong series of drones in December 2015 during the Beijing Air Show. Rabat already had four drones of the previous model that the United Arab Emirates had given it.