A new Chinese high-altitude, high-speed reconnaissance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) was spotted on Friday in the air making its debut flight.

The WZ-8 drone aircraft reportedly flew three times the speed of sound and can reach altitudes of approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 miles).

The blog of Defence Blog magazine sighted the WZ-8 positioned beneath a Xian H-6 bomber, signalling that it requires assistance from carrier aircraft to initiate flight.

The WZ-8's deployment is expected to bolster China's intelligence-gathering efforts, with a focus on South Asian regions, notably Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan.

The drone is also expected to enhance China's strategic capabilities in regions where conventional surveillance methods may falter.

China's Latest Supersonic Spy Drone Looks A Lot Like The Lockheed D-21 That Crashed There In 1971

Lockheed developed a spy drone in the 1960s that crashed in China.

China recently debuted a supersonic drone that bears a striking resemblance to Lockheed's D-21.
On March 20, 1971, a specially modified US Air Force B-52 bomber from the 4200th Support Squadron took off from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam carrying a unique aircraft mounted under its wing, reported Business Insider India.

The aircraft, shaped like a dart and painted black, was a D-21 supersonic reconnaissance drone. It was to be the fourth such drone to conduct aerial reconnaissance of China's Lop Nor nuclear test site in northwestern China, and despite its sophistication, it would crash into the very country it was intended to spy on.

Created by the renowned Lockheed Corporation, the D-21 was the most advanced unmanned aircraft of its time. Intended to bridge a gap between burgeoning satellite technology and manned reconnaissance flights, the drone's development was filled with ambition, urgency, and tragedy.

Ultimately unsuccessful, the drone would be relegated to the annals of aviation history if not for the appearance of a strikingly similar Chinese drone unveiled at a recent military parade. This delta-shaped drone of similar size also requires being launched by a mothership. But Chinese engineers claim advances that go much farther than the D-21, reaching 30 miles into the atmosphere and speeds up to Mach 6.

This is what we know about the high-flying Chinese spy drone and the D-21 upon which it could be based.