In recent years, China's UAV technology has developed rapidly, and the Rainbow series and Pterodactyl series UAVs have been well received. Rather than be complacent, China continues to invest significant resources in improving the combat power of drones in order to demonstrate its strength on the international stage.
China's drone technology has performed well in overseas markets, and the Rainbow series and Pterodactyl series drones have become hot sellers. Whether it is a war-torn region in the Middle East, or in places like South Asia, Central Asia and Africa, Chinese drones can be seen. Among them, the Pterodactyl-2 UAV is the most popular one.
The Pterodactyl-2 UAV has won widespread praise for its excellent performance. It has a maximum flight speed of 370 km/h, has 6 hardpoints, and can carry about 480 kg of ** equipment. In a fight against terrorism in Nigeria, the Pterodactyl-2 UAV played an important role. It quickly located and attacked the enemy's position, successfully eliminating more than 100 militants with laser-guided bombs. In a counterinsurgency operation in Ethiopia, the Pterodactyl-2 UAV showed great power, and with its assistance, the ** army achieved major results in only 4 days. In addition, the cost performance of the Pterodactyl-2 UAV is also remarkable, although the actual combat capability can be comparable to the American MQ-9 Reaper UAV, but ** is only about 2 million US dollars, less than one-fifth of the Reaper UAV.
And the recently launched Pterodactyl-1E UAV should not be underestimated. It has a maximum endurance of 45 hours and a maximum range of up to 7,000 km. Even at high-altitude airports, such as those at an altitude of 4,000 meters, the Pterodactyl-1E can successfully take off and land at full load. The Pterodactyl-1E has 5 hardpoints and can carry up to 550 kg of ** equipment. All types of missiles and bombs, from 20 kg to 100 kg, can be easily handled. Foreign media believe that the comprehensive capabilities of the Pterodactyl-1E are comparable to those of the American Gray Eagle UAV, which fully shows that the gap between China and the United States in UAV technology is gradually narrowing.
There are reports that China will vigorously promote the combination of Pterodactyl drones and artificial intelligence. In the future, the Pterodactyl UAV will develop in the direction of high-end intelligence, realizing the progress from remote control and program control to fully autonomous control. Through the introduction of artificial intelligence, drones will mimic human thinking abilities to a certain extent, allowing them to perceive the battlefield situation more keenly. In addition, the powerful information processing capabilities of artificial intelligence can also help UAVs analyze the collected battlefield information and make appropriate decisions, such as autonomously selecting flight routes and intelligent killing targets.
The intelligent upgrade of UAVs will greatly improve their cooperative combat capabilities. It can be like the human brain, and assign reconnaissance, identification, tracking, strike, and evaluation to different platforms and **, so as to achieve better comprehensive combat results. This development direction is expected to subvert the traditional combat mode and promote the formation of a new air combat system. If UAV technology and artificial intelligence technology achieve deeper integration, then in the future battlefield, UAVs will no longer only undertake reconnaissance tasks, but gradually become the top of the battlefield kill chain.
As a dual-use UAV, the Pterodactyl UAV is not only to enhance combat power, but also to better serve the civilian market.
3. The application of Chinese UAVs in the civilian field is extensive and excellent. The Pterodactyl series UAVs have shown their excellent performance in civil fields such as emergency rescue and meteorology.
In the 2021 heavy rain relief operation in Henan Province and the relief operation of Typhoon No. 9 and No. 11 this year, the Pterodactyl series drones successfully supported the rescue work by taking real-time pictures of the situation in the disaster area and building communication channels. In addition, the Pterodactyl series UAVs can also undertake meteorological tasks such as typhoon detection. Since it is difficult to establish meteorological observation stations in the ocean, it is almost impossible to obtain accurate observation data of special weather such as typhoons at sea by relying on meteorological satellites alone. In this case, UAVs can be used as an effective complementary means to provide technical support for accurate weather forecasts. Therefore, China has developed a number of derivative models of the Pterodactyl series of UAVs, which are specially used in meteorology, disaster relief and other fields, such as the Pterodactyl-2H meteorological UAV and the Pterodactyl-2H emergency rescue UAV.
In the future, China will further promote the combination of new technologies such as drones and artificial intelligence, and apply drones in scientific research, surveying and mapping, logistics and other fields to provide users in various industries with more accurate and powerful data services. China's drone technology has performed well in both military and civilian fields and will continue to bring more surprises to the world.