CASIC HW

CASIC HW series UAVs are Chinese UAVs developed by 3rd Academy Hiwing (or HW for short, 海鹰in Chinese) of China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), and this academy is also more commonly known as HiWING Mechanical and Electrical Technology Corp, (海鹰机电技术研究院, the exact literal translation of its Chinese name is actually Sea Eagle Mechanical and Electrical Technology Research Academy) or HiWING for short.

HW-100 Sparrowhawk

HW-100 Sparrowhawk UAV (Que-Ying or Queying, 雀鹰) is a hand held micro air vehicle (MAV) designed to specifically operate in the region of high elevation. The electrically powered MAV is in conventional layout and propulsion is provided by a propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted behind the wing. Specification:

  • Max take-off weight: 6 kg
  • Payload: 1.5 kg
  • Cruise speed: 50–80 km/h
  • Ceiling: 3 km
  • Remote control radius: 20 km
  • Endurance: 45 min
  • Take-off: hand launched or catapult
  • Landing: parachute or glide
  • Deployment & recovery time: < 10 min
  • Max wind speed allowed for operation: 8 m/s
  • Operating temperature: −20 to 50 °C
  • Storage temperature: −40 to 55 °C

HW-120

HW-120 is a MAV which is developed from HW-100 Sparrowhawk. HW-120 share the identical layout with its predecessor HW-100 Sparrowhawk, and like its predecessor, HW-120 is also electrically powered. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 2 m
  • Length: 1.6 m
  • Max take-off weight: 5.8 kg
  • Payload: 2 kg
  • Power plant: lithium battery
  • Cruise speed: 60–90 km/h
  • Endurance: 45–60 min
  • Ceiling: 5 km
  • Control radius: 20 km
  • Launch: by hand or catapult
  • Recovery: parachute or glide
  • Max wind scale allowed for operation: 5

HW-200 Blast-Off

HW-200 Blast-Off (Teng-Fei or Tengfei, 腾飞) is a miniature UAV designed for long endurance. HW-200 Blast-Off UAV is in twin-boom layout with inverted v-tail. There are two models developed as of 2013, HW-200A, which does not have landing gear and thus is recovered via parachute, and HW-200B, which has tricycle landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 3.5 m

HW-210

HW-210 is fixed-wing UAV developed by HiWING, and it is in twin-boom layout and high-wing configuration with inverted v-tail. HW-210 has the same layout with HW-200 and it is a development of HW-200. As with HW-200, propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 3.5 m
  • Length: 2.1 m
  • Max take-off weight: 22 kg
  • Payload: 5 kg
  • Power plant: gasoline
  • Cruise speed: 80–120 km/h
  • Endurance: 12–16 h
  • Ceiling: 5 km
  • Control radius: 50 km
  • Launch: catapult
  • Recovery: parachute
  • Max wind scale allowed for operation: 6

HW-220

HW-230 is fixed-wing UAV developed by HiWING, and it is in twin-boom layout and high-wing configuration with twin tail. HW-230 has the same layout with HW-200/210 and it is tricycle landing gear system. As with HW-200, propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 2.7 m
  • Length: 2.1 m
  • Max take-off weight: 18 kg
  • Payload: 5 kg
  • Power plant:
  • Cruise speed: 100–120 km/h
  • Endurance: 2–3 h
  • Ceiling: 4 km
  • Control radius: 30 km
  • Launch: catapult
  • Recovery: parachute
  • Max wind scale allowed for operation: 6

HW-230

HW-230 is an UAV in conventional layout with high wing configuration. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose, and the UAV has a tricycle landing gear system. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 3 m
  • Length: 2 m
  • Max take-off weight: 32 kg
  • Payload: 5 kg
  • Power plant: internal combustion engine
  • Cruise speed: 90–110 km/h
  • Endurance: 3–4 h
  • Ceiling: 4 km
  • Control radius: 120 km
  • Launch: catapult, taxiing
  • Recovery: parachute, taxiing
  • Max wind scale allowed for operation: 6

HW-300 Blade

HW-300 Blade (Dao-Feng or Daofeng, 刀锋) UAV developed by CASIC is in twin-boom layout and high wing configuration. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage and it has tricycle landing gear. The on board navigational system can store up to a thousand navigational points for reference accordingly to the developer when HW-300 was first publicized in 2009 Emergency Rescue Equipment and Security Science and Technology Systems Exhibition (2009年应急救援装备与安保科技系统展览) held in Beijing. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 3.98 m
  • Length: 2.8 m
  • Cruise speed: 120 km/h
  • Ceiling: 4 km
  • Endurance: 3 h
  • Launch and recovery: taxiing
  • Landing distance: < 90 m
  • Power plant: 12 kW engine

SF-460 Blade

SF-460 is another member of Blade series UAV, and it is a derivative of HW-300, with identical layout, but was publicized three years later than HW-300 in 2012 at the 9th Zhuhai Airshow. The most obvious visual distinction between HW-300 and SF-460 is that SF-460 has winglets that are not present of HW-300, and SF-460 is larger than HW-300. In addition, SF-460 also has a slightly more powerful engine. Most parameters of SF-460 is same to that of HW-300, except:

  • Wingspan: 4.6 m
  • Length: 3.3 m
  • Weight: 85 kg
  • Payload: 15 kg
  • Speed: 110 km/h
  • Ceiling: 3 km
  • Endurance: 4–6 h
  • Power plant: 13 kW engine

HW-310

HW-310 is fixed-wing UAV developed by HiWING, and it is in twin-boom layout and high-wing configuration with winglets and twin tail. HW-310 has a tricycle landing gear system. Specification:

  • Wingspan: 4.6 m
  • Length: 3 m
  • Max take-off weight: 85 kg
  • Payload: 15 kg
  • Power plant:
  • Cruise speed: 100–120 km/h
  • Endurance: 4–6 h
  • Ceiling: 4 km
  • Control radius: 120 km
  • Launch: taxiing
  • Recovery: parachute, taxiing
  • Max wind scale allowed for operation: 7

HW-600 Sky Hawk (WJ-600)

HW-600 Sky Hawk (Tian-Yi or Tianying, 天鹰), this HiWING developed UAV is a jet-powered UCAV. The turbojet powered HW-600 Sky Hawk in in conventional layout with high-wing configuration and small winglets. The engine is in the aft section of the cylindrical fuselage, and the inlet is atop of the fuselage at the root of the single vertical tail fin. There is a single hardpoint under each wing, which is designed to carry a variety of Chinese UAV employed missiles and other munitions. Sensors are presumably stored in the bulbous nose. Also known as WJ-600, there are Chinese internet claims that HW-600 is the designation for the unarmed reconnaissance version, while WJ-600 is the designation for the armed UCAV version. However, such unconfirmed claims have yet to be verified by official governmental / industrial / independent sources. Reportedly, WJ is short for Wu-Jian (无歼), short for Wu-Ren Jian-Ji-Ji (无人歼击机), meaning unmanned fighter because MANPADs can be deployed by this UCAV as air-to-air missiles. Specification:

  • Speed: 200 m/s
  • Ceiling: 10 km
  • Operational range: 2100 km
  • Launch: rocket
  • Recovery: parachute
  • Payload: 130 kg
  • Endurance: 3 - 5 hr

HW-X100 Soar Cloud

HW-X100 Soar Cloud (Xiang-Yun or Xiangyun, 翔云) UAV is a very little known UAV that is currently under development by HiWING. It is jointly developed by HiWING and other Chinese establishments, but exactly which is not revealed, and neither do the parameters of HW-X100. The existence of HW-X100 Soar Cloud is revealed to public at the end of 2012 when CASIC announced it was one of the six UAVs under development by CASIC.

HW-X200

HW-X200 is another very little known UAV currently under development by HiWING. Like HW-X100 Soar Cloud, HW-X200 is also jointly developed by HiWING and other Chinese establishments, but as with HW-X100, exactly which one is not revealed, and neither do the parameters of HW-X200. The existence of HW-X200 is revealed to public at the end of 2012 when CASIC announced it was one of the six UAVs under development by CASIC.

See also

  • List of unmanned aerial vehicles of the People's Republic of China