China deploys advanced reconnaissance drone in South China Sea drills

Beijing’s military said it held joint air and naval exercises around Scarborough Shoal on Sunday, with Chinese state media reporting that the advanced WZ-7 reconnaissance drone was involved in the drills for the first time in the South China Sea area near the disputed atoll.

WZ-7 joins drills near disputed shoal

The WZ-7 is described in the source as an advanced, high-altitude, long-range reconnaissance drone, and it took part in exercises around the South China Sea flashpoint near Scarborough Shoal.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that the drone operated alongside various types of fighter aircraft.

The fighter aircraft involved in the exercises took off from multiple airfields, according to CCTV.

PLA says air and naval forces were involved

The People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theatre Command announced on Sunday that it had conducted joint air and naval exercises earlier in the day.

The command said the drills took place in the waters and airspace around Scarborough Shoal.

Scarborough Shoal is known as Huangyan Island in China and Panatag Shoal in the Philippines.

In recent years, the coral atoll has been a major flashpoint between China and the Philippines.

Both countries claim ownership of Scarborough Shoal, making military activity around the area closely tied to the wider dispute in the South China Sea.

Source: South China Morning Post