Kazakhstan unveils new Chengdu «Pterodactyl» also known as Wing Loong is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) unmanned combat aerial vehicle at International Armament and Military-Technical Equipment Exhibition KADEX 2016, reported by military-informant.com.
Kazakhstan has ordered an undisclosed number of Wing Loong unmanned combat aerial vehicles from China in 2016.
The Wing Loong or «Pterodactyl» drone is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute (CADI), a division of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The drone is capable of being fitted with a variety of sensors, including a forward looking infrared turret and synthetic aperture radar. In addition, the aircraft is capable of carrying weapons. The Pterodactyl I’s total payload capacity for sensors and weapons is 200 kilograms (440 lb).
An unknown number of Pterodactyl UAVs were purchased by Saudi Arabia in May 2014.
Since 2011, China has also sold the Wing Loong to several countries in Africa and the Middle East, including Nigeria, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates, at an estimated $1 million per unit.