New report tracks how Russia helps China build better drones
The investigation found that Russian designs for rocket-launched drones likely helped shape weapons China unveiled in 2025 and that Russian wind tunnels kept testing aircraft models for China's top arms maker after the invasion of Ukraine.
A new report by U.S. think tank C4ADS sheds light on the extent of Russia's defense cooperation with China, going beyond mere imports of dual-use goods. The report reveals evidence of shared drone design technology, testing services, and joint research between the two countries. Drawing on Russian trade records, corporate filings, leaked documents, and academic papers, C4ADS mapped lesser-known layers of collaboration between Russia's defense industries.
The investigation found that Russian designs for rocket-launched drones likely influenced weapons China unveiled in 2025, and that Russian wind tunnels continued testing aircraft models for China's top arms manufacturer after Ukraine's invasion. Researchers from both countries are jointly developing algorithms for combat drone swarms, with 86 academic papers co-authored between 2022 and 2026.
Additionally, some suppliers to Russia's defense industry are relocating production to China. This cooperation extends beyond China's documented supply of components, raw materials, and machine tools to Russia, and Russia's sales of airborne combat vehicles and munitions to China.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Independent's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
