China's unveiling of the Wing Loong-X drone, developed to strengthen anti-submarine warfare capabilities, has drawn global attention.
China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (CATIC), a state-owned defense company, displayed a full-scale model of the Wing Loong-X, an export-oriented medium-altitude long-endurance drone, at the Dubai Airshow 2025, which opened on November 17 in the United Arab Emirates.
The Dubai Airshow, held every two years, is the largest air show in the Middle East and North Africa region, with more than 1,500 aviation and defense companies participating. The Republic of Korea Air Force, led by Chief of Staff Gen. Son Seok-rak, also attended the event, forming its first "defense cooperation delegation" to promote the technological excellence of Korean defense aviation, including the KF-21 Boramae supersonic fighter jet.
Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported that "the Wing Loong-X represents the next-generation model of China's drone export strategy" and that "it is evaluated as functionally superior compared to the U.S. Navy's P-8 Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft produced by Boeing."
A scaled-down model of the Wing Loong-X was displayed at the 2023 Dubai Airshow and this year's Paris Air Show. However, this marks the first time a full-scale model has been exhibited outside China.
Chinese military experts have analyzed that "the Wing Loong-X can launch both air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles and is also equipped with anti-ship attack capabilities." Some assessments describe the Wing Loong-X as the world's first unmanned aerial vehicle capable of detecting and attacking submarines. The drone's fully autonomous anti-submarine warfare capability using artificial intelligence is particularly emphasized.
What is the actual capability of the Wing Loong-X?
The drone's key advantage is its fully automated capability, where the onboard AI can detect, analyze, and attack submarines. The AI determines the positions for dropping sonobuoys, analyzes underwater acoustic patterns to identify submarines, and can autonomously launch lightweight torpedoes when necessary. These features have led to enthusiastic assessments such as "submarines have nowhere to hide from this drone" and "the era of submarine stealth is over."
Analysis of Chinese state media reports reveals more details about the Wing Loong-X. It is the latest aircraft in the high-altitude long-endurance (HALE) unmanned reconnaissance and attack aircraft series developed by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). It has a wingspan of 20 meters and a maximum flight altitude of 10,000 meters. With an endurance of more than 40 hours, it can operate approximately four times longer than the U.S. Navy's P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine patrol aircraft.
Like manned maritime patrol aircraft, it can cooperate with aerial or maritime platforms and can detect and track submarines using various maritime surveillance sensors including sonar, then launch advanced anti-submarine torpedoes.
Some foreign media outlets have also highly rated the Wing Loong-X's capabilities.
Belgian military publication Army Recognition reported that the Wing Loong-X is the world's first drone capable of independently detecting, tracking, and attacking submarines, integrating sonobuoy dispensers, lightweight torpedoes, and composite sensors for maritime surveillance.
U.S. science and technology publication Interesting Engineering analyzed that the Wing Loong-X's onboard AI can analyze underwater sounds to identify submarines and autonomously launch torpedoes when necessary, noting that if this capability is operationalized, it would change the paradigm of undersea warfare.
Assessments suggest that if China operates multiple Wing Loong-X drones in the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, the stealth advantage of U.S.-Japan-Australia joint submarine forces could be weakened. This capability has reportedly drawn significant interest from Middle Eastern countries that have recognized the strategic importance of drones through recent conflicts.
However, most Western military media view China's Wing Loong-X unveiling with skepticism.
They interpret this unveiling as an extension of unmanned operations from ground and air to maritime domains, aimed at strengthening the construction of an "aerial anti-submarine network." Western analysts assess that China is likely at the stage of demonstrating its technological capabilities, and the actual autonomous strike capability has not yet been verified.
