'Flying radar' is first early-warning drone

China Electronics Technology Group Corp has built the world's first early-warning drone, which it calls a "flying radar".

The unpiloted plane, the JY-300, developed and made by the State-owned defense conglomerate's 38th Research Institute, has radars on its airframe capable of longtime, long-range surveillance of aircraft and ships, said Rong Haichun, a senior designer with the institute, which is based in Hefei, Anhui province.

"The JY-300 is the world's first unmanned aircraft that integrates radars with airframe, which means radar antennae are part of the craft's skin," Rong told China Daily by phone on Friday from the sidelines of the ongoing 12th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province.