EDEX 2025: China’s WJ-700 drone could respond to Egypt’s long-range surveillance needs
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China’s WJ-700 combat drone drew attention at EDEX in Cairo as unconfirmed reports suggest Egypt may have evaluated or considered a limited purchase, although no official disclosure has been issued to date.
During the Egyptian EDEX exhibition, China presented its WJ-700 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), as unconfirmed reports suggest Egypt may have evaluated or considered a limited purchase, although no official confirmation has been issued by Egyptian authorities or by the manufacturer. For now, the Egyptian Air Force operates around 484 drones, divided between roughly 100 reconnaissance/attack units and 378 surveillance drones, including several Chinese models, such as the ASN-209, CH-5, Wing Loong, and Wing Loong II.Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The WJ-700 Falcon’s armament options include C-701 and C-705 anti-ship missiles, SM-102 anti-radar missiles, CM-502KG precision attack missiles, and glide bombs in the 50 to 100 kg classes. (Picture source: Army Recognition)
According to the Chinese website Sohu Military on November 29, 2025, rumors circulating in China around Egypt’s shift from a potential J-10C purchase toward the WJ-700 suggest that the change may have been influenced by budget limitations, procurement risks, and political constraints. These rumors state that Egypt had shown interest in the J-10C during its 2023 visit to China, where the aircraft’s maneuvering qualities and radar performance reportedly left a strong impression, especially given its unit cost estimated between 40 million and 50 million dollars. Speculative accounts describe that acquiring around forty J-10C fighters, together with PL-15 air-to-air missiles, airborne early warning aircraft, and complementary air defense systems, could have raised the overall program value to about $8 billion, which may have exceeded what Egypt could commit while maintaining its F-16, Rafale, and MiG-29M fleets. These claims also argue that logistics pressures related to adding a fourth fighter type, as well as the memory of the cancelled Su-35 contract in 2019 after U.S. pressure, may have pushed Cairo to reconsider the risks associated with another fighter acquisition.
Additional suggestions point out that Egypt might have evaluated the possibility that Washington could restrict supplies of F-16 components if Chinese fighters entered the inventory, making the J-10C option politically sensitive and financially demanding at a moment when Egypt’s defense budget reportedly ranged from around $3.1 billion to $4.7 billion between 2023 and 2025. The same rumors indicate that these constraints may have contributed to Egypt’s interest in unmanned systems, reportedly culminating in its decision in June 2025 to proceed with a $400 million acquisition of ten WJ-700 drones at approximately $40 million per unit, as the WJ-700 is a system that may have aligned more easily with Egypt’s limited budgets and operational needs. Additional claims propose that drones do not attract the same political scrutiny as manned fighters, allowing Egypt to avoid the kind of restrictions associated with previous aircraft procurements. In these rumors, Egypt’s purchase of WJ-700 drones is presented as a pragmatic outcome that may enhance reconnaissance and defensive coverage over the Red Sea and Mediterranean routes, while fitting within a market environment where regional actors such as the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and others continue to expand their unmanned capabilities. But, for now, this information remains unproven by official statements or public sightings and must therefore be cautiously mentioned.
The WJ-700 itself belongs to the broader family of CASIC’s WJ drones developed by the 3rd Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, also known as Hiwing Mechanical and Electrical Technology, which includes the WJ-010, WJ-100 Blade, WJ-500, WJ-600, and WJ-600A/D. The WJ-700’s development started around 2012 at CASIC’s 31st department, with the design completed by 2016, apparently around a 22-meter wingspan and a WP11 JiuZhai turbofan engine. Designers seem to have reduced the WJ-700’s radar visibility by placing the air intake on the upper airframe and using a V-shaped tail, while incorporating carbon fiber composite materials to lower the weight. A scale model of the drone appeared in 2018, the first full flight took place on January 11, 2021, after several assessments of the use of such drones in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the first completed WJ-700 was displayed at Zhuhai in 2018.
The WJ-700, nicknamed Falcon and developed by teams under designer Liu Liu, is characterized by China as a high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance combat and reconnaissance drone, for roles such as standoff ground attack, anti-ship strike, anti-radiation missions, and long-range surveillance. The maximum takeoff weight is listed as up to 3.8 tonnes with a payload capacity of about 840 kg, allowing multiple sensor and weapon configurations. The WJ-700 possesses a maximum speed of roughly 700 km/h, a cruising speed of about 600 km/h to reach around 20 hours of endurance, and an economic speed of around 400 km/h to reach up to 26 hours of flight. Altitude capability is indicated at 12,000 meters, or up to 15,000 meters in some technical references. CASIC’s public exhibitions have also emphasized the drone’s automated functions, including one-button self-detection, autonomous outbound and inbound flight, one-button takeoff and cruise, and automated landing, intended to reduce operator and maintenance workload. At Airshow China 2021, CASIC showcased a production-ready WJ-700 Falcon, together with an unmanned combat system concept linking the WJ-700 with the Tianying reconnaissance UAV for standoff missile delivery guided by external targeting cues. At the Army-2024 exhibition in Russia, the WJ-700 was presented for the first time on Russian soil alongside CH-4 and CH-5H drones.
The drone’s armament options include C-701 and C-705 anti-ship missiles, SM-102 anti-radar missiles, CM-502KG precision attack missiles, and glide bombs in the 50 to 100 kg classes. Chinese media also reference CM-102 anti-radiation missiles, as well as the ability to launch weapons at ranges of 50 to 80 km. The C-705 uses a turbofan engine and an optional solid-fuel booster to extend its range to around 170 km, and terminal millimeter-wave radar guidance is used against ships between roughly 1,500 and 3,000 tonnes or ground targets in the C-705KD version. The smaller C-701 is intended for boats up to about 180 tonnes. The CM-502KG, drawing on characteristics observed in the Spike NLOS, measures about 1.7 meters in length, has a diameter of 152 mm, reaches approximately Mach 1.1, covers about 25 km, uses a tandem warhead of about 11 kg capable of penetrating around 1,000 mm of armor, and offers semi-active radar, infrared, or electro-optical guidance to the operator. The WJ-700 could also carry electro-optical sensors, a synthetic aperture radar, an electronic detection radar, and other surveillance payloads.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
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China’s WJ-700 combat drone drew attention at EDEX in Cairo as unconfirmed reports suggest Egypt may have evaluated or considered a limited purchase, although no official disclosure has been issued to date.
During the Egyptian EDEX exhibition, China presented its WJ-700 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), as unconfirmed reports suggest Egypt may have evaluated or considered a limited purchase, although no official confirmation has been issued by Egyptian authorities or by the manufacturer. For now, the Egyptian Air Force operates around 484 drones, divided between roughly 100 reconnaissance/attack units and 378 surveillance drones, including several Chinese models, such as the ASN-209, CH-5, Wing Loong, and Wing Loong II.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
The WJ-700 Falcon’s armament options include C-701 and C-705 anti-ship missiles, SM-102 anti-radar missiles, CM-502KG precision attack missiles, and glide bombs in the 50 to 100 kg classes. (Picture source: Army Recognition)
According to the Chinese website Sohu Military on November 29, 2025, rumors circulating in China around Egypt’s shift from a potential J-10C purchase toward the WJ-700 suggest that the change may have been influenced by budget limitations, procurement risks, and political constraints. These rumors state that Egypt had shown interest in the J-10C during its 2023 visit to China, where the aircraft’s maneuvering qualities and radar performance reportedly left a strong impression, especially given its unit cost estimated between 40 million and 50 million dollars. Speculative accounts describe that acquiring around forty J-10C fighters, together with PL-15 air-to-air missiles, airborne early warning aircraft, and complementary air defense systems, could have raised the overall program value to about $8 billion, which may have exceeded what Egypt could commit while maintaining its F-16, Rafale, and MiG-29M fleets. These claims also argue that logistics pressures related to adding a fourth fighter type, as well as the memory of the cancelled Su-35 contract in 2019 after U.S. pressure, may have pushed Cairo to reconsider the risks associated with another fighter acquisition.
Additional suggestions point out that Egypt might have evaluated the possibility that Washington could restrict supplies of F-16 components if Chinese fighters entered the inventory, making the J-10C option politically sensitive and financially demanding at a moment when Egypt’s defense budget reportedly ranged from around $3.1 billion to $4.7 billion between 2023 and 2025. The same rumors indicate that these constraints may have contributed to Egypt’s interest in unmanned systems, reportedly culminating in its decision in June 2025 to proceed with a $400 million acquisition of ten WJ-700 drones at approximately $40 million per unit, as the WJ-700 is a system that may have aligned more easily with Egypt’s limited budgets and operational needs. Additional claims propose that drones do not attract the same political scrutiny as manned fighters, allowing Egypt to avoid the kind of restrictions associated with previous aircraft procurements. In these rumors, Egypt’s purchase of WJ-700 drones is presented as a pragmatic outcome that may enhance reconnaissance and defensive coverage over the Red Sea and Mediterranean routes, while fitting within a market environment where regional actors such as the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Israel, Turkey, and others continue to expand their unmanned capabilities. But, for now, this information remains unproven by official statements or public sightings and must therefore be cautiously mentioned.
The WJ-700 itself belongs to the broader family of CASIC’s WJ drones developed by the 3rd Academy of the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, also known as Hiwing Mechanical and Electrical Technology, which includes the WJ-010, WJ-100 Blade, WJ-500, WJ-600, and WJ-600A/D. The WJ-700’s development started around 2012 at CASIC’s 31st department, with the design completed by 2016, apparently around a 22-meter wingspan and a WP11 JiuZhai turbofan engine. Designers seem to have reduced the WJ-700’s radar visibility by placing the air intake on the upper airframe and using a V-shaped tail, while incorporating carbon fiber composite materials to lower the weight. A scale model of the drone appeared in 2018, the first full flight took place on January 11, 2021, after several assessments of the use of such drones in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the first completed WJ-700 was displayed at Zhuhai in 2018.
The WJ-700, nicknamed Falcon and developed by teams under designer Liu Liu, is characterized by China as a high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance combat and reconnaissance drone, for roles such as standoff ground attack, anti-ship strike, anti-radiation missions, and long-range surveillance. The maximum takeoff weight is listed as up to 3.8 tonnes with a payload capacity of about 840 kg, allowing multiple sensor and weapon configurations. The WJ-700 possesses a maximum speed of roughly 700 km/h, a cruising speed of about 600 km/h to reach around 20 hours of endurance, and an economic speed of around 400 km/h to reach up to 26 hours of flight. Altitude capability is indicated at 12,000 meters, or up to 15,000 meters in some technical references. CASIC’s public exhibitions have also emphasized the drone’s automated functions, including one-button self-detection, autonomous outbound and inbound flight, one-button takeoff and cruise, and automated landing, intended to reduce operator and maintenance workload. At Airshow China 2021, CASIC showcased a production-ready WJ-700 Falcon, together with an unmanned combat system concept linking the WJ-700 with the Tianying reconnaissance UAV for standoff missile delivery guided by external targeting cues. At the Army-2024 exhibition in Russia, the WJ-700 was presented for the first time on Russian soil alongside CH-4 and CH-5H drones.
The drone’s armament options include C-701 and C-705 anti-ship missiles, SM-102 anti-radar missiles, CM-502KG precision attack missiles, and glide bombs in the 50 to 100 kg classes. Chinese media also reference CM-102 anti-radiation missiles, as well as the ability to launch weapons at ranges of 50 to 80 km. The C-705 uses a turbofan engine and an optional solid-fuel booster to extend its range to around 170 km, and terminal millimeter-wave radar guidance is used against ships between roughly 1,500 and 3,000 tonnes or ground targets in the C-705KD version. The smaller C-701 is intended for boats up to about 180 tonnes. The CM-502KG, drawing on characteristics observed in the Spike NLOS, measures about 1.7 meters in length, has a diameter of 152 mm, reaches approximately Mach 1.1, covers about 25 km, uses a tandem warhead of about 11 kg capable of penetrating around 1,000 mm of armor, and offers semi-active radar, infrared, or electro-optical guidance to the operator. The WJ-700 could also carry electro-optical sensors, a synthetic aperture radar, an electronic detection radar, and other surveillance payloads.
Written by Jérôme Brahy
Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.
