[Photo] China’s Navy UAV flies close to the disputed Senkaku islands

On Sept. 9, one day after two H-6G maritime strike aircraft had been intercepted by the Japan Air Self Defense Force F-15 scrambled from Naha while flying in international airspace between the Miyako and Okinawa islands, an unknown Chinese UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was intercepted near the contested Senkaku islands.

Based on the image released by the Japan MoD, the UAV seems to be a Wing Loong (Pterodactyl), a drone based on the U.S. MQ-1 Predator.

Update: as suggested by several readers the drone is actually a BZK-005 more than a Pterodactyl.

Image credit: Japan MoD

Related articles

• This is how Japanese see their future air war against China over Senkaku Islands. With new stealth planes
• Chinese bombers skirt Japanese islands. And get intercepted by F-15 fighter jets.
• Nobody wants to fly drones
• In anticipation of an eventual U.S. attack on Syria military build-up in the Mediterranean slightly progresses
• Italian mini-UAV deployed to Afghanistan for Herat airbase surveillance
• British Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets nearly clashed with Turkish Air Force F-16s over Cyprus
• Assad launched two Syrian Air Force Su-24 attack planes towards Cyprus to probe British airbase’s air defenses