PLA's Tian Yi drone modified with smaller engines

China has recently modified its Tian Yi unmanned aerial vehicle with two smaller engines and a redesigned nose, according to information revealed by the aircraft's designer, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, reports American expert in Chinese military development Richard D Fisher Jr in the UK's IHS Jane's Defence Weekly.

The Tian Yi was first displayed in model form to the public at the Zhuhai Air Show of 2006. The drone then appeared at the airfield of the Chengdu Aircraft Corporation in mid-2008 as a medium-sized single turbofan-powered UAV with V-shaped vertical stabilizers. With a similar look to the Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, the Tian Yi is closer in size to the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper. Fisher said that a small number of Tian Yi drones had entered service with the People's Liberation Army.

Photos on the internet showed that the new modified version of the Tian Yi is about the same size as the original. However, it has a redesigned fuselage. "The most prominent difference is a wider empennage that incorporates two smaller turbofan engines plus a wider air intake," Fisher wrote. Such modifications are intended to suppress Tian Yi's infrared signature, which would stand out at high cruise altitudes.

Fisher believes that the Tian Yi can either serve with front line units of the PLA or as a technology demonstrator for Chengdu's larger Long Haul Eagle. The Long Haul Eagle has a similar shape and size to the Global Hawk. In addition, Guizhou Aircraft Corporation, a Chengdu Aircraft Corporation subsidiary, has produced Soar Dragon UAVs in both a larger and smaller version. The larger version is designed to have a weight of 7,500 kilograms and a wingspan of 25 meters. As for the smaller version, its size is similar to the Tian Yi.