Home Air Power UAV TianJian-1

TIANJIAN-1 TARGET DRONE

Motivated by the US military’s use of cruise missile in many recent conflicts, the PLA air defence troops have been focusing their training on the defence of enemy cruise missiles since the 1990s. A number of target drones have been developed for this type of roles, with the TianJian-1 (TJ-1) being one of the latest designs. The TJ-1 cruise missile target drone entered PLA service in early 2005 and was first revealed to the public during the 2005 China International Defence Electronics Exhibition (CIDEX) held in Beijing in April 2005.

The TJ-1 target drone is powered by a turbojet engine and is launched from ground launcher assisted by a rocket booster. The target drone flies under the radio command from the ground control station as well as a GPS navigation. The ground control bears strong resistance to enemy jamming and other interruptions, and the drone could also fly under its own navigation. The target drone is recovered using a parachute and shock absorbing airbags.

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: Wingspan: 1.5m; Length: 3.0m
Weight: Max take-off 80kg
Speed: Max 720km/h
Service ceiling: 4,000m
Flight endurance: 30 minutes
Remote control range: 50km
Powerplant: One 400kN turbojet
Launch: Fixed ground launcher with a rocket booster
Recovery: Parachute + shock absorbing airbags

This page was last updated 28 May 2006