Documents
China AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China)
WZ-7
A high-altitude long-endurance reconnaissance drone with a distinctive joined-wing (diamond) planform, developed by Guizhou (part of AVIC) for wide-area maritime and battlefield surveillance. Comparable in role to the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk.
In service since 2018 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
750
km/h
7,000
km range
18,000
m ceiling
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Chinese state channel
State export agencies (NORINCO/CATIC); limited availability to Western-aligned states.
Channel: State export agency
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2018. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 750 km/h Top 5% of UAVs
- Cruise speed
Sustained economical speed. Determines transit time to station.
- 700 km/h Top 1% of UAVs
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 7,000 km Top 4% of UAVs
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 18,000 m Top 3% of UAVs
- Endurance
Time on station. Critical for UAVs and patrol platforms — higher means longer persistent coverage.
- 10 h Stronger than 45% of UAVs
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 14.5 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 25 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 7,500 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 12,000 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 0
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 1x turbofan engine
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 1
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- synthetic aperture radar, electro-optical/infrared sensor
- Datalink
Network connectivity: Link 16, MADL, national datalinks. Enables cooperative engagement.
- SATCOM
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 15% of UAVs
Specifications compiled from public AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9A Reaper 
Turkish Aerospace Industries ANKA-S Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 has a maximum speed of 750 km/h.
What is the range of the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 has a maximum range of 7,000 km.
How much does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 weigh? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 has a combat weight of 12,000 kg.
How many crew does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 require? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 requires a crew of 0.
What engine does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 use? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 is powered by the 1x turbofan engine.
What is the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 used for? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 is a uav / drone typically used for isr.
How many countries operate the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7? +
The AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7 cost? +
AVIC (Aviation Industry Corporation of China) WZ-7: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
Similar systems
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems
MQ-9A Reaper
Northrop Grumman
RQ-4 Global Hawk
Turkish Aerospace Industries
ANKA-S
Baykar