Singapore Airshow 2026: China's AVIC introduces WL-X UCAV to Asia-Pacific market

A model of the WL-X UCAV on display at Singapore Airshow 2026. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has made a debut of its Wing Loong‑X (WL‑X) unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) at Singapore Airshow 2026.

A company representative at the show confirmed to Janes that the WL-X is making its first Asia-Pacific appearance outside China in a bid to fulfil the region's requirements for a persistent maritime strike platform.

In particular, AVIC is targeting Asia-Pacific operators seeking a long‑endurance UCAV capable of wide area maritime surveillance with the ability to prosecute surface vessels and submarines.

According to details provided at the show, the WL‑X has a length of 12.2 m, a height of 4.3 m, and a wingspan of 24 m.

While the AVIC representative declined to disclose a maximum payload capacity, they said the air vehicle is “capable of carrying a heavy payload” including torpedoes and missiles, although no details on these were provided.

The WL‑X's maritime role was first outlined at Airshow China 2024 in Zhuhai, where AVIC displayed the aircraft with a complete suite of maritime mission systems and weapons.

The UCAV was shown carrying four underwing sonobuoy dispenser pods, an ET‑60 lightweight electric‑propulsion torpedo, a YJ‑9E lightweight anti‑ship missile, and two PL‑108 Lite air‑to‑air missiles across its eight underwing pylons.

Additional weapons displayed alongside the airframe included PL‑10 and PL‑12 air‑to‑air missiles, an LD‑8A anti‑radiation missile, a CM‑400AKG anti‑ship missile, and LS‑6 250 kg and 500 kg precision‑guided munitions.

The AVIC representative declined to discuss further details of the WL-X including its service ceiling and speed.

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