From the Fifth Academy

CASIC traces its roots to October 1956, when China set up the Fifth Academy of the Ministry of National Defence to build rockets and missiles. Over the following decades the organisation was reshuffled through a series of ministries, from the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building to the Ministry of Aerospace Industry, before the space and missile sector was split in two. The defence-oriented half became China Aerospace Machinery and Electronics Corporation in July 1999 and took its present name in July 2001; its sister is the space-focused CASC.

The missile giant

Today CASIC is the largest missile maker in China. It runs seven academies, six listed companies and more than 620 other firms and institutes, with nearly 146,000 employees; in 2017 it reported revenue of 34.07 billion US dollars. Its catalogue covers the FD-2000 long-range air-defence system, export version of the HQ-9, the C-series anti-ship and land-attack missiles from the C-801 to the C-802, cruise missiles, guided rockets and even a road-mobile laser air-defence system. The United States barred American investment in CASIC in November 2020 over its links to the People’s Liberation Army.

Drones from the Hiwing academy

CASIC’s aircraft come from its Third Academy, branded Hiwing. The WJ-600, shown at the Zhuhai air show in November 2014, is a turbofan-powered reconnaissance and attack drone with a claimed speed of 850 km/h and five hours’ endurance; Turkmenistan was confirmed as an export customer in October 2016. The much larger WJ-700 flew in January 2021: a 3,500 kg armed reconnaissance drone with 20 hours’ endurance and four hardpoints for anti-radiation and anti-ship missiles. The smaller WJ-100 Blade appeared in 2015.