China exhibition shows latest advances in drone technology, especially for military use
More than 300 unmanned aerial vehicle models on display at conference in Mianyang, a major defence industry baseOne lightweight suicide drone can be carried and launched by an infantry soldier while another’s flapping-wing design has ‘range of uses’China’s militaryLiu ZhenPublished: 1:00pm, 4 Oct, 2023Why you can trust SCMP
Beijing displayed an array of new military drones at an exhibition in southwest China last week, a technology the PLA considers a key area to advance.
More than 300 models of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – many for military uses – were on display at the UAV Industry Development Conference in the Science and Technology City in Mianyang, a major defence industry base in Sichuan province.
One small high-speed drone, or loitering munition, can carry out a suicide bombing at 174km (108 miles) per hour, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The quadcopter drone has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes and is equipped with automatic tracking and location devices for a precision strike. It can carry 500 grams of TNT – enough to take out a normal car.
The compact drone weighs only 1.8kg (about 4lb), and comes with a backpack that would enable an infantry soldier to carry four of them at the same time.