TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) intercepted a Chinese Wing Loong-10 (WL-10) drone for the first time on Monday (May 27). 

According to a press release by Japan's Joint Staff Office (JSO), a WL-10 reconnaissance/attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was detected flying over the East China Sea. In response, the Southwestern Air Command of the JASDF scrambled fighter jets to intercept the aircraft. 

The JSO said this marked the first time a WL-10 UAV had been confirmed while implementing airspace violation protocols. The office released a photo of the aircraft and a map showing the flight path of the UAV in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ). 

The drone was first detected to the northwest of the Diaoyutai Islands heading east before turning northeast when it was west of Okinawa Prefecture. It then traced the same route as it returned to China.

The WL-10 has a maximum takeoff weight of over 3 tons, a range of 4,000 km, and can remain airborne for 8 hours, reported Newtalk. It can cruise at an altitude of 14,000 meters and a speed of 620 km per hour. 

When performing reconnaissance missions it can detect targets at long distances and monitor them in real-time. For attack missions, it has six suspension points under its wings that can carry precision-guided weapons such as glide bombs, small missiles, and extended-range bombs. 

It can also be equipped with YJ-9E anti-ship missiles to strike small, fast-moving maritime targets.

The WL-10, also known as Chengdu GJ-2, was first displayed at the Zhuhai Airshow in November 2016. The first incursion by the dual-purpose attack and reconnaissance drone in Taiwan's ADIZ was reported in October 2023.