China is developing drones to spy on Taiwan, a study from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission indicates.
“When fully integrated into the force structure, these Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) will improve the PLA’s [People’s Liberation Army] ability to assess US and Taiwan military force posture and intent and to employ long-range weapons systems,” the study says.
Written by policy analyst Kimberly Hsu and titled China’s Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Industry, the study was prepared for the US Congress.
According to the study, Beijing employs UAVs in a wide range of missions, though the extent to which it does so and its level of overall proficiency and integration are unclear.
“The PLA’s focus appears to be on employing UAVs for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and military communication relay, but likely it is developing and operating UAVs for electronic warfare and lethal missions as well,” the study says.
It says that China’s UAV industry has recently made advances in armed UAVs and unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) development, including those with stealth technology.
“Shorter-range UAVs could perform intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on fixed and mobile targets on Taiwan and in the Taiwan Strait,” the study says.
“Depending on their basing and range, some of these UAVs also may conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance on ships at sea in portions of the East and South China Seas,” the study concludes.
Long-range UAVs could conduct long-duration surveillance at extended distances from China and enable over-the-horizon targeting by PLA Navy long-range anti-ship cruise missiles and the Second Artillery’s DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missiles. They could be particularly useful for detecting, locating, and tracking high-value fixed and mobile targets — such as US Navy ships — throughout the Western Pacific, the study says.
China’s UAV industry is also developing medium-altitude, long-endurance UAVs and high-altitude, long-endurance UAVs.
“When operational, these advanced UAVs could conduct persistent broad-area surveillance capabilities at extended ranges and early-warning during wartime,” the study says.
In addition to fulfilling domestic market demand from the PLA and other domestic customers, Chinese companies appear to be positioning themselves to become key suppliers of UAVs in the global market.
“China’s unmanned aerial vehicle industry is diversifying and expanding,” the study says.
It says that surging domestic and international market demand for UAVs, from both military and civilian customers, will continue to buoy the growth of the Chinese industry.
“Chinese defense firms do not face the same export restrictions as top UAV-exporting countries, such as the United States and Israel,” the study says. “As a result, China could become a key UAV proliferator, particularly to developing countries.”
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS