China’s Advanced WZ-8 Reconnaissance Drone Raises Global Surveillance Concerns

Reconnaissance Drone WZ-8
Flies at Three Times the Speed of Sound

China has been causing controversy by conducting reconnaissance missions as far as the United States, beyond its neighboring countries, and across the Pacific. The spy balloon incident sparked serious diplomatic disputes between the U.S. and China. Like the U.S., China seems to have realized the importance of information analysis through reconnaissance in wars and conflicts.

Reports indicate that China has completed the preparation for the tactical deployment of its state-of-the-art reconnaissance drone, the WZ-8. This drone can reportedly conduct reconnaissance missions as far as the U.S. mainland, beyond several Asian countries. Let’s first learn about this drone and then look at China’s future moves.

An Outstanding Reconnaissance Drone
Capable of Reconnaissance Anywhere on Earth

China first unveiled the WZ-8 reconnaissance drone at the 70th anniversary of its founding in 2019, equipping it with very advanced capabilities. This drone can move at three times the speed of sound and conduct reconnaissance operations at 100,000 feet. It is launched in the air via a bomber.

Based on this drone’s capabilities, an analysis reported by The Washington Post suggests that the WZ-8 drone can target not only Taiwan but also South Korea for high-altitude surveillance and information collection. There are already indications that China has used this drone to conduct surveillance over Taiwan and the Korean Peninsula.

China’s Serious About Information Gathering

China continues to collect information on neighboring countries through spy balloons and various high-performance reconnaissance drones. Currently, these targets include Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and even U.S. military bases located in multiple places.