The Sep 2019 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s crude oil hub at the Abqaiq and Khurais production facilities reveal how drone warfare has progressed in terms of choosing of targets, precision attack, employment tactics that even a nation with a sophisticated military and a massive defense budget is still vulnerable to drone strikes. China is quickly preparing for the disruptive revolution in the use and employment of robotic and autonomous systems on the future battlefields and is continuing to develop new drones which are stealthy, faster, high altitude, long endurance and highly autonomous.
PLA has incorporated large number of a range of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) into its force structure, while also starting to experiment with and, to a limited extent field, unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs), and unmanned surface vehicles (USVs). The PLA’s sophisticated unmanned weapons systems will increase its anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities, while its progress in artificial intelligence would enhance their autonomy and could enable a disruptive operational advantage. In the immediate future, the probable missions for the PLA’s unmanned weapons systems will include intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); integrated reconnaissance and strike; information operations, especially electronic warfare; data relay, including communications relay and guidance for missiles engaged in over-the-horizon (OTH) targeting; and military operations other than war, such as counterterrorism and border defense.
China’s military drone programme is now ramping up and moving to the next level. New developments include fleets of UAVs that can be launched from aircraft carriers, bolstering the Chinese naval capabilities and swarm-intelligence systems that synchronize operations between drones and other military aircraft. China’s supersonic spy drone was unveiled for the first time during a weekend rehearsal for the National Day military parade on October 2019 , according to photographs circulating on social media.
The global production and sale of military drones is expected to rapidly increase over the next decade, with China anticipated to lead the market in 2025. China is already world’s largest producer of UAVs and is working on taking on a greater share in the military drone segment of the global market, competing against traditional leaders like the US and Israel.
China is becoming leading Exporter of Armed Drones, according to figures from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) which track global arms flow, China exported 163 large, weapons-capable UAVs to 13 countries from 2008 to 2018. The export of medium altitude, long endurance (MALE) UAVs is signalling that China is finally joining the ranks of leading defence exporters US and israel.
In addition, China has enjoyed large success in selling CASC’s Cai Hong ( rainbow) series of UAVs which include Cai Hong 3 (CH-3) and larger CH-4. since 2014, China has sold more than 30 CH-4’s to countries including Saudi Arabia and Iraq in deals worth over $700 million, according to CASC. Ten countries are currently in negotiations to purchase the CH-4, according to the firm. Chinese drones such as the CH-3 and CH-4 have been employed by Chinese air force as well been proliferated to a wide range of Militaries from Myanmar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt to Pakistan, Nigeria, and Iraq. Serbia has plans to acquire UAVs from China, including two Wing Loong II MALE UCAVs. According to reports , the UAVs will be assembled locally in Serbia using chinese supplied technology.
Jordan bought the drone in 2015 but displayed it publicly for the first time at the Special Operations Forces Exhibition and Conference, known as SOFEX in 2018, a biennial event where companies market their latest wares. They have even recently used in battlefields that range from Nigeria to Iraq. China is also believed to have provided technological assistance for Pakistan’s armed drone programme.
By comparision, SIPRI data suggests that the USA manufacturer General atomics delivered just 15 MQ-9 Reaper systems to international customers in the past 10 years, with outstanding international orders of 28 additional examples. UAV giant Israel has exported around 167 MALE UAVs of the hermes and Heron series during the same period , with these assets serving in the intelligence , surveillance and reconnaisance (ISR) missions-not attack roles.
The export of armed drones by United States has so far been restricted only the United Kingdom and Italy, due to controls to keep the technology out of the wrong hands. After some U.S. lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to loosen controls and let General Atomics sell its armed Reapers to Jordan and the UAE, the administration on April 2017 permitted U.S. manufacturers to directly market and sell drones, including armed versions. More countries, such as Russia, Turkey and South Korea, are likely close behind.
China will sell 48 high-end armed drones to its “all-weather ally” Pakistan in what a military observer said will be the largest deal of its kind. Wing Loong II is a high-end reconnaissance, strike and multi-role endurance unmanned aerial system, capable of being fitted with air-to-surface weapons. It is roughly equivalent to the American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The drones will also be jointly manufactured by China and Pakistan, state-run Global Times reported. Last year, China reportedly sold to countries like the UAE and Egypt the Wing Loong II at an estimated USD 1 million per unit, reports said.
China’s drones have also caused political incidents after unmanned aircraft sold by Shenzhen-based SZ DJI Technology Co. were flown onto the roof of the office of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the grounds of the White House in Washington.
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