Key Points and Summary – China is leveraging lessons from the war in Ukraine to become a “drone superpower,” using its vast industrial capacity to build cheap, effective unmanned systems.
-This drone program is a key pillar of Xi Jinping’s “Assassin’s Mace” (A2/AD) doctrine, designed to overwhelm the U.S. and Taiwan with “hard to kill” asymmetric swarms.
CH-7 Drone from China. Image Credit: Chinese Government
-China’s diverse and growing fleet includes everything from stealthy flying-wing strike drones (GJ-11, CH-7) and a Mach 3 recon drone (WZ-8) to “motherships” capable of releasing 100-150 loitering munitions at once.
The Modern Outlook on China’s Drone Programs
China is analyzing lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and drawing key aspects and traits of 21st-century warfare that have transformed the battlefield. Unmanned aerial systems for reconnaissance, loitering kamikaze drone swarms, first-person-view drones, long-range kinetic-kill unmanned systems, and other types of remotely piloted and autonomous craft are becoming a staple of next-generation conflict.
China knows it has the industrial capacity to dominate in drone warfare. Plus, these unmanned aerial systems are easy and cheap to produce. But can they stop or hinder the United States in East Asia? As usual, China is looking far ahead with its drone program.
There are stealth models already in service. China will undoubtedly have “loyal wingman” unmanned-manned teaming between fighter planes and drones. Kamikaze swarms are easy to manufacture in large numbers and can strike fear into the hearts of Americans.
Orders From the Top of Government to Dominate Drone Warfare
Xi Jinping has personally called for more drones. China always focuses on research and development for military technology, so unmanned flight is definitely in China’s wheelhouse.
China has learned that battlefield innovation happens by the hour. Long gone are the days when it took years to change technologies after a war.
The Ukrainians are innovating after every battlefield experience and “fighting by minutes” with their drone industrial complex. Ukraine is even using Chinese parts and components to quickly manufacture its drones.
CH-7 Drone from China. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
The Assassin’s Mace Strikes Hard
Xi wants to make his defense forces more “intelligent.” The drone program from the People’s Republic is part of the “Assassin’s Mace” doctrine of asymmetric warfare and anti-access/ area denial strategy against the United States. One drone may be a weaker threat, but a swarm of drones makes for a “hard to kill” asymmetric weapon.
The Chinese are not just motivated against the United States. They have a stated intention to overwhelm Taiwan, and the intelligent use of drones against the island can be a force multiplier and a cheaper way to intimidate Taipei. Pairing an unmanned swarm with land attack ballistic and cruise missiles can prepare the battlefield for an amphibious attack.
Nearly 70 Years of Drone Use
Drones are not new in China. The Middle Kingdom has been testing unmanned flight for decades. These efforts date back to the 1960s. They have used drones for target practice and for collecting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance data.
Now, China is devoting much of its defense industrial base to produce all makes and models of drones. There has been a 67 percent increase in military spending from 2023 to 2024, with more yuan allocated to unmanned systems.
It’s the Swarm That Can Kill You
China is particularly interested in drone swarms. The People’s Liberation Army has been testing these tactics since 2020. The country has also used a drone mothership to deploy the autonomous swarms.
GJ-X Drone X Screenshot. Image Credit: X.
This is known as “the 25-meter wingspan Jiu Tian SS-UAV, capable of releasing anywhere from 100 to 150 smaller loitering munition drones from dual internal bays on its fuselage,” Timothy Ditter of CNA wrote.
Quick Overview of Chinese Drone Systems
It is not just drone swarms that interest China. They want strategic-sized unmanned systems. The GJ-X stealth drone has been tested. This is a huge flying-wing unmanned aerial craft. The GJ-X is a “cranked kite” platform with a split rudder.
The heavy-duty HN-HP150 is a large intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance model. It has an oil-powered propulsion system for long-duration loitering. It can also serve in attack mode with air-to-surface missiles.
The VFA0P is an ingenious vertical take-off and landing drone that can operate deep in enemy territory. The VFAOP is gasoline-powered with readily available fuel on the battlefield. It has a 360-minute endurance and a top speed of 93 miles per hour, powered by its low-noise 170-horsepower engine.
The CH-5 Rainbow is a tough customer, too. It has a 60-hour level of endurance. The CH-5 Rainbow has an ultra-large weapons and sensor payload of 2,200 pounds. It is a long-range strike combat drone.
The Wing Loong II is a long-range and heavy combat drone that can be fitted with precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles. Moreover, the other drone in this class is the GJ-11 Sharp Sword. This is survivable in a multi-threat environment that can conduct deep strikes with similar bombs and missiles.
MD-19 Drone from China Screenshot from Chinese Social Media.
The WZ-8 High-Speed Reconnaissance UAV is one to watch and gives the Chinese a strategic-level intelligence craft. This can fly at a dizzying MACH 3 and is launched from H-6 strategic bombers.
The CH-7 Rainbow stealth drone is a radar-evading model. This is one of the most advanced unmanned systems in the Chinese fleet.
China: Drone Superpower?
As you can see, China is a world leader in drones. They have drawn lessons from Ukraine and leaped ahead in unmanned technology. There is a drone model for every military situation, from stealthy supersonic flight to reconnaissance to ground-strike.
China’s drone fleet is only going to get better. The future of unmanned flight is alluring to a defense force with almost unlimited money and resources. Look for even better models to be introduced in the future. This is “assassin’s mace” technology that can spy on the enemy or destroy surface targets.
They are unlimited force multipliers, and the Chinese military will be a drone superpower to be reckoned with. The unmanned fleet will be a prominent feature of an attack against Taiwan or other countries that wish to challenge China.
Xi will be happy that his military has leaped ahead in drone technology. They have been at it for decades, and the effort has borne fruit.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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