China speeding into the low-cost drone swarm lead

Asia Times ^

[FarCenter]

China has developed a low-cost drone jet engine that could pave the way for the production of cutting-edge, cost-efficient drones, setting a precedent that could redefine global drone warfare strategies.

South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that a new generation of high-speed, long-endurance drones powered by low-cost jet engines has entered military service in China, according to a lead scientist on the project.

SCMP says that the new Chinese drones stand out from other models due to the low cost of their power source and that the innovation could ignite a drone arms race as the US begins its program to ramp up the weapon’s production.

SCMP says that the technological breakthrough will allow the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to source superior-performance jet drone engines at less than a fifth of the international price. The report says that the Chinese Academy of Sciences released a presentation on the project on October 19.

At the event, engineering thermal physicist Zhu Junqiang claimed the PLA has been quick to embrace the new engine, mainly because it consumes nearly a third less fuel than the current two-shaft engines in use and because maintenance costs will be significantly cheaper due to having 70% fewer mechanical components.

In contrast, SCMP notes that a high-speed military drone powered by a jet engine is usually categorized as a high-value asset, but due to high costs they are stockpiled in small numbers in most military arsenals. The Northrop Grumman-made RQ-4 Global Hawk drone, for instance, is powered by an AE3007 turbofan engine supplied by Rolls-Royce at a cool US$4 million per unit.

SCMP says that even the US, which has a bigger military budget than all other global countries combined, can only currently afford 42 Global Hawks, which cost around $130 million each.

[sauropod]

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[moovova]