Chinese drone downed in Iran, sparking questions about UAE or Saudi Arabian role Submitted by Sean Mathews on Thu, 04/02/2026 - 21:34 The UAE has deployed the Wing Loong drone in Sudan, as analysts question whether Gulf states are involved in offensive operations Screen grab of reported Wing Loong II Chinese drone shot down over Shiraz Iran. Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are known to operate the drones (Screen grab/X/Tasnim News) Off Iran appears to have shot down a Chinese Wing Loong II drone in the southern region of Shiraz, sparking questions among open-source intelligence analysts about whether Gulf states like Saudi Arabia or the UAE had joined offensive operations against Iran. Images of the destroyed drone were originally shared by Iran's Tasnim news agency, which said the Iranian military had downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. However, multiple open-source intelligence analysts identified the drone as a Chinese Wing Loong II, which is often compared to the MQ-9 Reaper. Middle East Eye could not independently confirm the analysis, but Tehran Times later reported it. MEE revealed in February that Iran had received drones from China in the days before the US-Israeli attack on 28 February. But a regional intelligence official said Beijing had sent Kamikaze drones to the Islamic Republic, which are different from reusable Wing Loong drones. Nicole Grajewski, the author of Russia and Iran: Partners in Defiance from Syria to Ukraine, said that Iran does not possess the Wing Loong Drone in its arsenal. Neither the US nor Israel is known to operate Wing Loong II drones, but Saudi Arabia and the UAE have them in their arsenal.  'Punish Iran': Saudi Arabia and UAE inch closer to supporting US-Israeli war Read More » The Wing Loong drone has featured prominently in Sudan’s civil war, where the UAE has deployed them in support of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to The New York Times. If Saudi Arabia or the UAE were ope