How quickly is China learning from the Ukraine war’s latest drone tactics?
China is running the most systematic effort of any outside power to learn from the drone war in Ukraine, with military and defence-industry analysts typically writing up new battlefield techniques within about four months, according to a new analysis. But it usually took a year or more before those lessons showed up publicly in People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training, equipment or force…
China is actively studying the drone tactics employed during the Ukraine war, analyzing battlefield techniques within four months of their appearance, according to an analysis by Chinese military and defence-industry analysts. However, it typically takes a year or more for these lessons to be publicly integrated into the People's Liberation Army (PLA) training, equipment, or force structure, as noted by analysts Lilly Min-Chen Lee and Kateryna Bondar in a commentary published by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on October 7.
Chinese analysts consider the conflict as a "living textbook," with 2024 described as "year one of world drone war" due to both Russia and Ukraine deploying drones at sufficient scale to reshape the modern battlefield. Chinese research extends beyond immediate tactics, exploring the economics of mass-produced drones, shortening the kill chain, fibre-optic first-person-view (FPV) drones, and organizational structures for drone units.
The researchers tracked the spread of these lessons, finding that defensive lessons, such as air and harbour defences, appeared in new equipment the quickest. They also observed PLA exercises countering aerial and maritime drones, but the speed at which other lessons were absorbed varied.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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