Airshow China 2024: Tengden Scorpion B combat UAV makes debut

The twin-engine Scorpion B drone on display at Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai on 12 November 2024. (Jiang Jurong/VCG via Getty Images)

The Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co Ltd company has debuted its Scorpion B unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at Airshow China 2024.

The company describes the twin-engine Scorpion B as an improvement over other unmanned products in the family, according to the state-owned newspaper, Global Times . This almost certainly includes the Tengden TB-001 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that is in service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Citing a Tengden press release, the newspaper said that the improvements include a shorter take-off length and superior high-altitude flight performance. This performance boost was achieved due to the greater use of composites in the fuselage, the newspaper added.

The Scorpion B is slightly smaller than the TB-001. According to Tengden, the Scorpion B has a wingspan of 18 m, a length of 8.8 m, and a height of 2.7 m. The TB-001 is 10 m long and has a wingspan of 20 m, according to Janes data.

Tengden added that the Scorpion B has a maximum take-off weight of 1,950 kg and a maximum range of 8,500 km. Unlike the TB-001, which is equipped with four underwing hardpoints, the Scorpion B has six hardpoints. Two of the hardpoints support dual-load mounts, and at Airshow China 2024, the Scorpion B was shown armed with a total of eight Blue Arrow 7 anti-tank missiles.

The UAV can conduct various mission payloads and perform tasks such as emergency rescue, weather service, wide-area patrols, and air transport, Tengden told the newspaper.

For more information on the Scorpion family of UAVs, please seeTW328/TB001 Twin-Tailed Scorpion .