China Coast Guard acquires Wing Loong-2 UAVs

This artist's rendering shows a Wing Loong-2 in service with the Chinese Coast Guard. While the paramilitary service likely acquired the type in early 2025, it only hinted at the type's operational deployment in December 2025. (Janes)

A China Coast Guard (CCG) poster that was released to mark a December 2025 military exercise indicates that the paramilitary organisation has acquired and deployed Wing Loong-2 (WL-2) medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The poster was published on 30 December 2025 after China launched a simulated blockade of Taiwan called ‘Justice Mission 2025' in response to the United States' approval of new military sales worth USD11.15 billion for the island.

Jointly released by the Fujian Coast Guard and China's state-run Global Times newspaper, the poster, titled 'Guardianship', showed a WL-2 in CCG livery superimposed over an image of Taiwan. The poster also showcased the service's Xi'an MA-60H patrol aircraft and a Type 818 (modified Type 054) patrol vessel.

The equipment in the poster is being “utilised in daily law enforcement and patrol operations”, Global Times reported. “Beyond coastguard ships, patrol aircraft and UAVs have become regularised tools for the CCG to safeguard national rights and enforce the law.”

The Global Times report also suggested that the CCG WL-2s could be deployed to patrol the waters around Taiwan more closely. “Moving forward, the CCG will continue to lawfully exercise control over Taiwan island and its affiliated islands in accordance with the one-China principle,” the newspaper reported.

First appearance

The WL-2 is a second-generation Wing Loong-family platform developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).