Taiwan"s Ministry of National Defence (MND) announced that in addition to the WZ-7, 26 PLA Air Force aircraft were detected at that time, including two Su-30 fighter jets, two JH-7 fighter-bombers, four J-16s, and one Y-9 electronic warfare aircraft.
Taiwan emphasized that the appearance of the WZ-7 marked a pattern of increased intrusion by Chinese drones into Taiwan"s ADIZ.
The WZ-7 Soaring Dragon has a "unique" joined-wing design. The UAV has a similar role and mission to the US Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk. It is assumed that its primary mission is aerial surveillance. There are claims that it might be providing data for cruise missiles.
