Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
The pilotless aircraft is an aircraft in which there is no pilot and it is flown either by its own onboard programable flight control system or by a remote control system operated by a pilot in a carrier aircraft or on ground. Its controlled long distance flight was realized by use of its onboard autopilot, programable flight control system, remote control and telemetering system, automatic navigation system, automatic landing system, etc. Compared with the manned aircraft it is lighter in weight, smaller in size, lower in production cost and better in stealthiness. It is particularly suitable for high risk missions.
Chinese armed drones have made a significant effect on the battlefields across the Middle East and North Africa. They have been used to assassinate Houthi rebel leaders in Yemen, kill ISIL-affiliated fighters in the Sinai, and for a time help Khalifa Haftar dominate the battlespace in Libya. While the US has traditionally refused to sell its latest advanced weapons systems, China is not bound by such constraints and has had no problem exporting its drones right across the Middle East and Africa. Factories under licence to build Chinese armed drones have been set up in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Myanmar. Exports of Chinese drones are so extensive the sales have made China the second-largest arms exporter in the world.
Shanghai rejected traditional fireworks displays to celebrate the 2020 New Year, filling the skies with thousands of synchronized drones. Nearly 2,000 drones flew over the largest city in China, creating giant spheres, texts and even the figure of a man who seemed to run across the horizon. The traditional midnight countdown was also done by the swarm of drones over the Huangpu River in the east of the city. CCTV said the corridor configuration illustrated “the great changes and glorious achievements that Shanghai has achieved in the last 40 years of reform and openness.” It was achieved through vast programming efforts to coordinate the drones, rather than individual drone pilots.
China is said by Chinese sources to be the largest exporter of military drones. The best-known Chinese military drones are the Wing Loong family, made by Aviation Industry Corp of China, and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp's CH series. CH drones have been sold to military users in more than 10 countries, while the Wing Loong II, which made its maiden flight in late February, has received the largest contract ever for a Chinese drone made for export.
Two main types of combat drone have been put up for export, both having achieved significant operational success. The first is the Cai Hong "Rainbow" series, made by the Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), the most popular version being the CH-4 which has been sold to Egypt, Iraq and Jordan. Earlier versions have seen action in Nigeria as the government battles Boko Haram in the north of the country.
The other main contender is the Wing Loong series of combat drones. Made by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG), they for a time dominated the battlefields of Libya as they have successfully operated out of airbases in the east of the country, giving Haftar's self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) a significant advantage over the embattled Government of National Accord (GNA).
Both types of drones have several desirable features in common. They have significant range, far greater than other combat drones such as Turkey's Bayraktar TB2, giving them an enhanced strike capability. They can operate from high up making them more survivable than their competitors and they can carry more bombs and missiles meaning they can pack a heavy punch should they need to. Last but not least they are significantly cheaper. A CH-4 Chinese combat drone at $4m is a quarter of the price of a US-made Reaper MQ-9, which goes for $16m.
From left to right: Xianglong attack 2 bzk005 attack 1. A series of small unidentified small droness (still in yellow paint) Wind shadow attack 11 No detection 8 The second bzk005 (possibly with e or l (Improved version). Two unclear vehicle-mounted unmanned helicopters Eagle (of the Third Academy of Science and Technology). Small, miniature, swarm (may also have cruise missiles). The penultimate one is probably the far right of the rainbow Tengdun double-tailed scorpion. Even drones sent by private companies to express delivery are here, and Rainbow, Fengying and Tianying are not the models in service. Divine Eagle is massive, not only in terms of overall dimensions as well. Its "twin hull" configuration probably gives it quite an MTOW.
The Malan base is the 178 UAV brigade station of the PLA Air Force, and the presence of a UAV at this base may indicate that it has joined the Chinese Air Force. In recent years, Malan Airport has been found to conduct test flights of China's new type of drones, and has become a major base for China's drone test flights. However, the emergence of a new type of drone at this airport does not serve as a basis for the aircraft's joining the Chinese Air Force. In fact, many models not purchased by the Chinese Air Force have also been tested at the Malan base.
The most popular Chinese military drones on the international market are the CH family, made by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, and Aviation Industry Corp of China's Wing Loong-series. CH drones have been sold to militaries in more than 10 countries, and the Wing Loong II, which made its maiden flight in March 2017, captured the largest contract ever signed for a Chinese export drone.
The pilotless aircraft have developed rapidly since a radio controlled model airplane was used as a drone abroad in the 1930s. The small low altitude and low speed piston-engined drones became operational in the 1940s and the high subsonic and supersonic high performance drones appeared in the 1950s. With the development of microelectronics, navigation and control technologies some countries developed pilotless reconnaissance aircraft after the 1960s. Now the applications of the pilotless aircraft are increasingly expanded. In military area the pilotless aircraft are used in missions of reconnaissance, communication, anti-submarine, electronic counter-measures and ground attack and in civil area they are used in geophysical survey, natural resource exploration, meteorological observation, forest fire-fighting and artificial rainfall; and in R& D area they are used in air sampling proof and advanced technology demonstration.
The investigation of the pilotless aircraft in China began in the late 1950s. The laws of the automatic takeoff and landing for both the An-2 and 11-28 aircraft were basically mastered in 1959. UAVs were first used by the US in China during the 1960s. In fact, one of the first Chinese UAVs was partially developed by reverse engineering one of Firebee unmanned aerial vehicles that was lost over China. China also acquired Russian Lavochkin target drones.
The development of the pilotless aircraft began in second half of the 1960s and by the 1980s had grown into 3 series of products, i.e. the Changkong 1 drones, WZ-5 high altitude photographic reconnaissance aircraft and small remotely controlled aircraft D4s. The pilotless aircraft design and research organizations were founded in NAI, BIAA and NPU. These universities have been used as the bases and have the capabilities of design and small scale production. The various types of the pilotless aircraft made in China have basically satisfied the needs of military and civilian applications and have gradually entered into the world market. While UAV programs in China originally were based on US and Russian designs, today Chinese researchers are producing original research and their own designs for mini, micro, vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL), and flapping-wing UAVs.
With the success of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in recent global conflicts, China is looking to position itself as a major consumer and exporter of UAVs. Hence, the previously dormant Chinese market for UAV is poised for significant growth. With UAV technologies expected to re-shape national defense strategies and policies, Chinese authorities have now implemented numerous steps to put developments back on track, while introducing indigenous UAV development programs.
Moreover, numerous countries in the Asia Pacific region are progressively modernizing their defense capabilities. Hence, authorities are now convinced that existing and new UAV programs have to be implemented at a quicker rate if China wishes to expand its influence in the Asia Pacific and global defense markets. Following its accomplishments in designing and manufacturing UAVs, China is now looking to enter the electronic warfare (EW) market.
Although China's military probably prefers to purchase a proven system, China's leadership may have determined that indigenous production of UAVs is in China's best interest. While China's military has a great interest in using UAVs in tactical C4I, it had only limited capability and experience with UAVs. Consequently, the practical application of UAV sensor information to battlefield operations was only in the developmental stage. The application of UAVs in tactical C4I operations was likely to increase as new UAVs become operational within the Chinese military.
China's airborne ISR program has placed significant emphasis on UAVs. China's armed forces have operated the Chang Hong (CH-1) long-range, air- launched autonomous reconnaissance drone since the 1980s. China developed the CH-1 by reverse-engineering US Firebee reconnaissance drones recovered during the Vietnam War. An upgraded version of the system was displayed at the 2000 Zhuhai air show and is being offered for export. A PRC aviation periodical reported that the CH-1 can carry a TV, daylight still, or infrared camera. It most likely is not equipped with a data link, which would allow remote-controlled operation, nor is it capable of providing real-time payload feedback to the remote operator.
China's armed forces also operate other UAVs, primarily for battlefield reconnaissance or electronic warfare. Beijing has ongoing efforts in UAV research. Interest in UAVs, mainly reconnaissance versions for use with the ground forces, underscores the PLA's requirements to increase reconnaissance and air defense capabilities.
A concept model of China's unmanned aerial combat vehicle named "Anjian" (Dark Sword) was displayed at the 47th International Paris Air Show, held from June 18th to June 24th of 2007. The aerial combat vehicle was designed by the Shenyang Aeroplane Design Institution under China Aviation Industry Corporation I (CAIC1), for future aerial combat.
The Tian Yi began testing in 2009, as Chengdu's step toward a future Global Hawk class HALE UAV. A new Chinese UAV design — with a 60,000-ft. cruising altitude, 300-mi. radar surveillance range and low radar reflectivity (if it uses the right composite structure) — could serve as the targeting node for China’s anti-ship ballistic missiles.
Richard Fisher notes [Testimony for the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission Hearing on China's Emergent Military Aerospace and Commercial Aviation Capabilities, May 20th, 2010] "At the 2000 Zhuhai show the Guizhou WZ-2000 was revealed, a squat twin-jet powered delta winged high-altitude long-endurance UAV, which by the 2002 Zhuhai show evolved into a medium sized UAV, which by the 2008 Zhuhai show appeard to form the basis for an armed turbofan powered unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) similar in size to the U.S. General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper.
"Since the 2006 Zhuhai show there appears to emerged a rough division of labor, in which Chengdu and Guizhou concentrate on medium and long range surveillance UAVs and medium range UCAVs, while Shenyang appears to be concentrating on future long range subsonic and supersonic UCAVs. The 2006 Zhuhai show saw the revelation, in model form, of Chengdu's Tian Yi, which was revealed by internet sources in 2008 to have entered testing. While likely useful as a medium range UAV, the Tian Yi also serves to aid the development of Chengdu's Long Haul Eagle, which is close in size and configuration to the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk. In 2006 Guizhou revealed in model form its box-wing Soar Dragon UAV, credited with a 7,000km range, but there has been no subsequent information on this system.
"At the 2006 Zhuhai airshow Shenyang created a stir by introducing in model form its Dark Sword supersonic UCAV, about which Shenyang has revealed very little. In 2006 it was described in a small plaque as a "fighter," which would have been an amazing accomplishment for a UCAV, though this mission was not mentioned in its plaque at the 2008 Zhuhai show. There has been some suggestion that this design may have been inspired by South African technical assistance. A new model of the Dark Sword was revealed as part of the 2009 PLAAF Anniversary, an indication that it remains an ongoing program. At the 2008 Zhuhai show the forward-swept wing subsonic Warrior Eagle was revealed, also likely a Shenyang program. This concept appears to be a more realistic goal technologically, if one considers it is well suited for attack and surveillance missions. Wall illustrations at the 2008 Zhuhai show suggested the Warrior Eagle would also be capable of cooperative "swarm" missions. There are also indications that the X'ian Aircraft Co. may be developing a strike UCAV. "
The United States has plenty of lethal drones, but it has had restrictions on exporting them out of concern that the technology could be copied or used against its own troops. Some of those restrictions were lifted in April 2018 for US allies, with the Trump administration citing competition from Chinese “knockoffs”, but even a solid ally such as Jordan had not been able to buy US drones. The US rules gave Beijing the opportunity to fill the void and sell its drones to other countries, but China’s “competitive” prices also helped.
China’s drones are now flying in the Middle East, as Beijing has fewer qualms than the United States when it comes to selling its military UAVs to other nations. The Iraqi army has used CASC’s CH-4 drone to conduct at least 260 strikes against the Islamic State group, Chinese media reported in 2018. In Yemen, where a civil war has sparked what the UN calls the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the United Arab Emirates military has reportedly targeted a Shiite rebel chief with a Chinese-made drone.
The AV500W is an armed reconnaissance variant of the AV500. The AV500W was developed and produced at the AVIC Helicopter Research and Development Institute in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province. AV500W, an armed reconnaissance variant of the AV500, successfully conducted a missile firing test in 2018, making it combat ready. In 2017, the company flew the AV500 in Northwest China's Gansu Province, as it climbed to an altitude of 5,006 meters, a record for a domestically developed helicopter drone. Through these tests, the AV500 had shown outstanding environmental adaptability and strong reliability. These characteristics could make the unmanned helicopter attractive to both domestic and international clients. A drone helicopter could conduct patrol, reconnaissance, damage evaluation and attack missions for the military. It could also be deployed on missions relating to anti-terrorism, firefighting and disaster evaluation. China's top unmanned helicopter, the AV500, successfully conducted its first night operation under challenging conditions, demonstrating its any-time, all-terrain capabilities, a result which Chinese analysts said on Thursday might increase the possibility for the Chinese military to put it into service and attract overseas buyers. An AV500 took off and flew toward sea in a headwind of 15 meters per second at midnight on 14 June 20194 in South China's Hainan Province. During the nighttime mission, the drone helicopter successfully located its target vessel with its electro-optical pod and transferred back clear infrared visuals, read a statement the helicopter department of the state-owned Aviation Industry of China (AVIC), the maker of the AV500, released on Wednesday. During its flight, the AV500 overcame challenging environments including strong winds and high salinity and humidity, AVIC said in the statement, noting the operation proved the drone helicopter's capability to operate at night. Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) put on display its first unmanned combat helicopter AV500W for foreign buyers in 2018 in a bid to enlarge scope to market its military drones abroad. All of the military drones China has offered to the international market have been fixed-wing models, making the AV500W the first Chinese unmanned military helicopter available in that market, experts were quoted as saying. Jiang Taiyu, one of the chief designers of AV500W, said the aircraft fired weapons during its maiden flight test in August. The AV500W that appeared in 2017 weighs 450 kg, has a payload of 120 kg, has a maximum speed of 170 kilometers per hour, a maximum flight altitude of 4000 meters, and a battery life of 4 hours (with weapons) and 8 hours (with cameras only). The AV500W can carry 4 laser-guided missiles, and the maximum distance it can find and strike a target by using the airborne camera and laser pointer is 8000 meters. China has long discouraged its defense companies from disclosing products that have been developed but not successfully sold. However, this situation seems to be changing now. At the same time, Chinese manufacturers are producing weapons and drones that are very similar to existing Western models. This is another issue that foreign companies are more concerned about.
The helicopter is capable of carrying 120 kilogrammes of weapons and equipment. Its reconnaissance version can remain aloft for eight hours while the reconnaissance/combat model also can carry bombs or a machine-gun pod. "The helicopter is able to take off and land on almost any landform including plateaus and canyons. It can operate in cold and tropical environments. It will be useful in border patrols, counterterrorism operations and low-intensity conflicts because it can carry out very-low-altitude penetration and keep hovering for a while," he said. An armed AV500W typically carries four air-to-ground missiles, which use radar homing technology for guidance. Each missile weighs 8 kilogrammes and can hit a target 5 kilometres away, the report quoted AVIC officials as saying. It
KVD001
The "KVD001" is small in size and adopts a conventional layout. It has straight wings and twin tail booms. A two-blade propeller can be seen at the rear of the fuselage. Coupled with a fuel-saving powertrain, it can fly for a long time. According to the report, the aircraft used a vehicle-mounted ejection take-off method. Since there is no landing gear installed on the aircraft, there is a high probability that it will be recovered by hitting a net or parachute.
This equipment was unveiled at the 2019 Tianjin Zhizhi Expo. It appeared on the same stage as the Zhi-20, Wuzhi-10, "Longbow" Wuzhi-19 and Zhi-8G, and participated in static displays on the ground. The official exhibition board describes it this way: The aircraft has functions such as long-range communication relay, battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance, and target illumination guidance. It can extend the Army Aviation command communication link and provide command communication relay relay for the Army Aviation ground command post and air formations. effectively improving the long-range command capabilities of the Army Aviation Forces.
Due to its small size, simple launch and recovery, and no need for an airport runway, the aircraft is very suitable for accompanying troops on combat missions. The aircraft is mainly composed of aircraft subsystem, data link subsystem, ground control subsystem, mission equipment subsystem, comprehensive support subsystem, etc. The aircraft has programmed flight control, manual flight control and emergency flight mode, and may be equipped with a digital aircraft Control and management system, integrated radio system, advanced mission control equipment, data module martial arts association terminal, there is an independent raised radar radome above the nose for equipment data link, and a retractable photoelectric crane is installed on the lower part of the nose The pod shrinks inside the fuselage to reduce drag when taking off, and lowers it for reconnaissance when approaching the target.
The pod is equipped with a high-resolution white light panoramic channel, an infrared night vision channel and a laser ranging channel. The white light/infrared camera captures Video images can be transmitted to the ground control station in real time, and the drone can be controlled in real time through the radio data link. It has multi-task planning capabilities, and the mission plan can be revised and changed in real time during the flight. Since it is improved on JWP-02, its long-distance communication relay, battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance, and target illumination guidance functions will be stronger than before.
Of course, the most important function of the KVD001 UAV is to replace manned aircraft in "other aircraft irradiation", which is often called "A-guided B-shooting". Just like in this exercise, after the WZ-19 launches the laser-guided missile, the KVD001 will guide the missile. At the same time, the armed helicopter quickly turns around and breaks away, achieving "launch and forget", which greatly improves its battlefield survivability. ability.
In other words, as a new type of air combat force, drones can take the lead in areas that are difficult to reach with traditional attack methods. They can not only complete battlefield reconnaissance and surveillance, precise target guidance, real-time damage assessment and other diversified tasks, but also effectively reduce the risk of damage. The personnel risks associated with performing missions will play an important role in the future air battlefield.
Chen Hengzhi, the pilot of the brigade, was deeply touched by the changes in the combat mode brought about by this new type of drone: "In previous training, we needed to organize different types of aircraft for elements of armed reconnaissance and fire assault. With the drone The coordination of aircraft is equivalent to equipping the War Eagle with a pair of 'eyes', which greatly shortens the reaction time of reconnaissance and fire units, and improves the accuracy of strike and damage."
This is not the first time that the People's Liberation Army's combat mode of using drones to guide military direct attacks has been publicly unveiled. As early as the end of last year, a land aviation brigade of the 71st Group Army in the Eastern Theater Organized a helicopter cross-sea assault drill, which included a scene of a drone conducting high-altitude reconnaissance to lock the target, and then guiding the armed helicopter to launch missiles to accurately attack the target at sea.
In addition to UAVs, the People's Liberation Army's military and military can also conduct "A-guided B-shooting" between them, so that different models can leverage their strengths, avoid weaknesses, and complement each other's advantages. In 2020, the Army's 83rd Group Army Air Assault Brigade traveled thousands of miles to organize troops to conduct live-fire shooting training with multiple aircraft types, demonstrating a new method of joint combat with armed helicopters.
In that multi-aircraft joint exercise in an unfamiliar environment, the reconnaissance WZ-19 in the front served as an early warning aircraft, guiding the WZ-10 in the rear to use air-to-surface missiles to attack beyond visual range. This reconnaissance type Wuzhi-19 is often nicknamed the "Longbow" Wuzhi-19 by netizens because it is equipped with a "Longbow" fire control radar similar to the "Longbow" fire control radar on the US-made Apache helicopter on the top of the rotor.
In many training exercises conducted by our army in recent years, this coordinated attack strategy not only exists between armed helicopters and drones, but can also be achieved through ground reconnaissance vehicles and even ground combatants. In July last year, during an air-ground coordinated air-to-ground seize exercise conducted by an Army Aviation Brigade of the Army's 76th Group Army in collaboration with a Combined Brigade, the ground troops used laser irradiation to guide the WZ-10 to launch air-to-ground missiles.
KVD002
On September 14, 2023, the 6th China Tianjin International Helicopter Expo opened. At this expo, China displayed the Army’s first integrated surveillance and combat drone system KVD002, an "MQ-9 Reaper with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era". The KVD002 is a variant of the highly renowned Rainbow-4B CH-4 specially customized for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army. The aerodynamic design of the KVD002 on display at the expo boasted a high resemblance to that of the CH-4, and it carried the AR-1 air-to-ground missile that was also developed by the Aerospace CH UAV company, the developer of the CH drone series.
Data for the KVD002 integrated reconnaissance and strike UAV refer to the basic parameters of the Rainbow-4 integrated reconnaissance and attack UAV. The wingspan is 18 meters, the maximum take-off weight is 1.35 tons, the cruising range is up to 5,000 kilometers, the maximum ceiling is 7,000 meters, the airborne time is more than 30 hours, the airborne time when adding weapons is 14 hours, the mission load is 345 kilograms, the maximum flight The speed is 250 kilometers/hour, most of the fuselage surface is made of lightweight synthetic materials, the lift-to-drag ratio is 1, and the maximum range is 3,500 kilometers.
The KVD002 integrated reconnaissance and strike UAV has been upgraded on the basis of Rainbow-4B. It adopts a better domestic aviation heavy fuel engine and can use RP-3/RP-5 aviation kerosene or mixed fuel, which can significantly reduce fuel consumption. , increase range and flight time. After improvements, the maximum ceiling of this drone reached 9,000 meters. Its plateau combat performance is excellent. Its range of use without attenuation is as high as 4,000 meters above sea level, and its ultimate altitude is as high as 10,000 meters.
If the ceiling is as high as 9,000 meters or more, ordinary anti-aircraft missiles are simply out of reach, especially the shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles that can only shoot up to three or four thousand meters. However, using such large anti-aircraft missiles to attack such drones, the cost-effectiveness ratio will be too poor. For example, the price of a Patriot air defense missile is as high as 5 million U.S. dollars, but a KVD002 may be sold for only a few million yuan for China's own use.
However, the ceiling is not the most significant thing about KVD002. Its most interesting performance is that it can carry a payload weighing 350 kilograms and stay in the air for 230 hours, moving at a speed of 150-180 kilometers per hour.
This kind of long-term, large-scale reconnaissance and strike activities on the battlefield can enable earlier discovery and earlier implementation of important military targets such as the enemy's command vehicles, headquarters, air defense systems, the opponent's important equipment, fortifications, and rear warehouses.
The newly unveiled KVD002 armed reconnaissance drone had likely participated in patrols and exercises around the island of Taiwan since 2022, identified then as the CH-4, analysts said on 21 September 2023. Since September 2022 and without the knowledge about the KVD002, the defense authority on the island of Taiwan has occasionally reported the presence of CH-4 armed reconnaissance drones during the PLA's daily patrols and exercises around the island, which have also sometimes featured Z-10 attack helicopters and KVD001 reconnaissance drones of the PLA Army.
The words "the first of the Army" show that it is a landmark Army weapon, which not only shows that it can change the rules of the battlefield, but also shows that it has officially become a hunting weapon. According to the Ministry of Defense’s description, this type of unmanned aerial vehicle system has significantly enhanced the ability of the People’s Liberation Army’s ground forces to conduct reconnaissance and support battlefield combat operations.
Official statements are generally very restrained. Even the Ministry of National Defense said that it has significantly enhanced the People's Liberation Army's ground forces' ability to conduct reconnaissance and support battlefield operations, which shows that its capabilities have been fully recognized. "The drone can cooperate with helicopters in combat operations. It can provide battlefield intelligence and fire support to helicopter troops, and can guide attack helicopters to their targets," the introduction said.
The CH-4 had displayed its capabilities overseas, and it was natural that it won interest from domestic users like the PLA Army, Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert, told the Global Times. The KVD002 can conduct reconnaissance missions around the island of Taiwan and conduct precision strikes when necessary, Fu said.
Built by the China Aerospace Aerodynamics Research Institute, a subsidiary of the company, the CH-4 is China's best-selling unmanned combat aircraft in the international market and has been sold to more than 10 countries, making it the most popular and combat-proven unmanned aerial vehicle exported by China.
Saudi Arabia introduced the production line of Rainbow-4 drones from China a few years ago. This drone has directly changed the rules of confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthi armed forces in Yemen. In the past, the Houthi armed forces frequently attacked Saudi oil facilities, which caused Saudi Arabia heavy losses and great distress. After introducing the Rainbow-4 UAV from China, Saudi Arabia carried out more than 7,000 flight missions in a few years, which allowed Saudi Arabia to gain air superiority in the face of the Houthi armed forces.
Before the presumed commissioning of the CH-4 into the PLA Army as the KVD002, more than 200 units of the CH-4 were sold on the international market as of November 2022, Aerospace CH UAV company told the Global Times at the time. Another top Chinese drone series, the Wing Loong, has been commissioned into the PLA Air Force and given the designation of GJ. Song Zhongping, a Chinese military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Thursday that the PLA Army, Air Force and Navy have all commissioned drones and deployed them in exercises around the island of Taiwan.
Analysts noted that China's drone industry is offering a wide variety of products, including large and small drones as well as sophisticated and cost efficient ones, from various suppliers including the aviation sector, the aerospace sector, the weapons sector and the private sector. Different military services and branches can choose from the products that best suit their needs, Song said.
According to a description provided at the helicopter expo, as the first armed reconnaissance drone of the PLA Army, the KVD002 can carry out precision strikes on hostile air defense systems, armored targets and fortifications based on air-ground integration plans, cooperate with helicopters by providing reconnaissance data, escort and target guidance, as well as conduct reconnaissance and strikes independently.
The KVD002 has outstanding comprehensive performance, is easy to operate and maintain, can be expanded for additional missions and is capable of conducting short takeoff and landing in plateau regions, the description read. This means that the KVD002 is intended to be used in different terrain across the country, not only in the Taiwan Straits, observers said.
Wang Yanan, editor-in-chief of "Aviation Knowledge", said that advanced combat drones can provide great help to ground forces because they can stay in target areas for a long time and perform reconnaissance, attack and damage assessment tasks. Their deployment can save frontline commanders a large amount of equipment and troops that need to go deep into the enemy's defense lines to complete the same mission.
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