Egypt in Talks With China’s State-Owned Company CASIC Over WJ-700 Strike Drone Procurement.

Egypt has reportedly been in discussions with China’s CASIC since late 2024 regarding the WJ-700 jet-powered strike UAV, although neither side has publicly confirmed the talks. If pursued, the platform would signal Cairo’s interest in faster, longer-range unmanned strike capabilities tied closely to industrial cooperation.

Egypt has been engaged in talks with the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) over the WJ-700 medium to high altitude long endurance strike drone since late 2024. Tactical Report is a subscription-based defense intelligence publication, and neither the Egyptian Ministry of Defense nor CASIC has publicly confirmed the discussions. Even with that limitation, the report fits a visible procurement pattern in Cairo: expanding unmanned capabilities while using industrial cooperation to pull technology, training, and production know-how into Egypt’s domestic base.
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A miniaturized WJ-700 model at EDEX 2025 in Egypt highlights the jet-powered UAV's long endurance ISR and standoff strike roles, including maritime attack and potential anti-radiation missions (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

At EDEX 2025 in Cairo, Egypt’s Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI) repeatedly framed unmanned systems as a national industrial priority rather than a niche capability. Public statements made during the exhibition pointed to domestic production efforts tied to Chinese partners, including work on armed and rocket-equipped UAVs, while also highlighting Egypt’s parallel approach with Western suppliers through localized support and industrial arrangements for manned combat aircraft. The messaging was consistent across the exhibition floor, with drones, mission payloads, and supporting ground systems featured prominently in several Egyptian and partner booths, reinforcing the view that unmanned aviation now sits at the core of Cairo’s defense industrial strategy.

CASIC occupies a central role in that strategy. Alongside other major Chinese aerospace groups, CASIC is a state-owned defense conglomerate with deep experience in missile systems, loitering munitions, and export-focused unmanned platforms developed through its research academies. For foreign customers, CASIC systems are typically marketed with fewer political restrictions than Western equivalents and are often bundled with training, ground control infrastructure, and scalable support packages, a model that appeals to operators seeking relatively rapid capability fielding.

The WJ-700 itself is positioned as a reconnaissance and strike integrated unmanned aircraft designed to combine long-range surveillance with precision attack, while offering significantly higher speed than propeller-driven MALE platforms. Open Chinese descriptions of the program emphasize its jet-powered configuration and highlight mission profiles that include land attack, maritime strike, and anti-radiation operations. Program officials have previously stated that prototypes have completed dozens of test flights since the initial test campaign began in early 2021, indicating that the system has progressed beyond the conceptual phase into sustained evaluation. Public technical references also consistently associate the platform with multiple external hardpoints and modular payload options, although exact endurance and performance figures vary depending on payload and flight profile.

For Egypt, the attraction goes beyond simply adding another armed drone to its inventory. Cairo already operates armed UAVs and is widely assessed to have fielded Chinese-origin MALE drones in the Wing Loong class alongside smaller tactical systems. These platforms provide persistent surveillance and routine strike capability, but their speed and survivability are limited when missions demand rapid response across long distances, maritime patrol with meaningful standoff range, or operations in more contested airspace. A jet-powered strike UAV changes that equation by compressing response timelines and expanding operational reach.

From an operational standpoint, the WJ-700’s advertised mission set maps closely onto Egypt’s security environment. Long coastlines, the Red Sea and Suez approaches, and extensive border regions create constant demand for ISR that can quickly transition into strike operations. The platform’s emphasis on anti-ship and anti-radiation roles is particularly relevant in this context. A maritime strike configuration could add a lower cost but flexible layer to coastal defense and sea line security, while an anti-radiation capable variant would point toward limited suppression missions against mobile air defense systems. In Egyptian service, such a platform would likely be tasked with a blend of persistent ISR, time-sensitive strike, and selective suppression, operating alongside manned combat aircraft rather than replacing them.

The decisive factor will lie in the package that accompanies the air vehicle. CASIC export offerings typically hinge on sensor selection, datalink architecture, ground control stations, and the weapons integration roadmap. Open material has previously associated the WJ-700 with precision-guided glide bombs, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship munitions, and anti-radiation weapons, but any Egyptian configuration would reflect local operational priorities and inventory planning. Cairo will also assess how the drone would integrate into existing command and control structures, what beyond line of sight connectivity options are available, and whether the support concept includes meaningful in-country maintenance and sustainment.

If the reported talks are advancing, the next steps should leave observable indicators. These could include evaluation activities such as tailored flight demonstrations or exhibition appearances linked to Egyptian requirements, followed by an industrial pathway through AOI involving assembly, component production, or mission system integration. A clearer definition of the intended mission focus, whether maritime strike, air defense suppression, or a balanced ISR and strike role, would also signal progress. The core takeaway remains that the WJ-700 represents a potential Egyptian move toward faster, standoff-oriented unmanned strike capability and a test of how far Cairo and Beijing are prepared to push a relationship increasingly shaped by drones, industrial cooperation, and operational autonomy in the coming years.