Bombshell report claims China is transforming old jets for new war

The Blaze ^ | April 1, 2026 | Andrew Chapados

[Twotone]

Multiple sources have claimed that the Chinese government is suspiciously repositioning its military assets, signaling possible future activity around Taiwan.

The reports come from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, which tracks Chinese military might and defense systems.

The China Airpower Tracker reportedly showed lines of typically retired Chinese fighter jets, which have drawn suspicion from experts. The J-6 fighter (also known as the Shenyang J-6) was first developed in the late 1950s.

China retired the line of jets in the late 1990s, but now, experts say, China is retrofitting the old fighters to serve as unmanned craft and staging them at six air bases close to the Taiwan Strait. Mitchell Institute senior fellow J. Michael Dahm told Reuters that approximately 200 obsolete fighters were being converted to drones.

The drones could be used to "attack Taiwan, U.S., or allied targets in large numbers, effectively overwhelming air defenses," Dahm claimed.

At the same time, the Mitchell Institute is not the only source noticing some of China's militaristic anomalies.

In a March 17 report, Japan’s National Institute for Defense Studies noticed "small swept-wing aircraft parked on the same apron" as the newer J-16 multi-role fighter at Zhangzhou's Longtian Airport, "presumed to be a J-6 fighter (equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks)."

The NIDS concluded that "there is no immediately apparent rational explanation for the presence of J-6s at forward airfields. The co-existence of state-of-the-art multi-role fighters and obsolete fighters cannot be explained simply by a fleet modernization program," the report continued. "Rather, it suggests that they may be assigned different missions."

Noting that the J-6 is no longer capable of enduring modern air-to-air battles, the report said it is "not technically implausible" that it could be recommissioned into service following a conversion to an "unmanned configuration."

"We are concerned by the increased pressure from Beijing, including military activity around Taiwan that raises the risk of miscalculation," Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a recent Taiwan briefing.

Taiwanese Deputy Minister Hsu Szu-chien said he hoped the United States would soon expedite a process for arm sales to his country.

"This would greatly facilitate our efforts to secure funding for the special defense budget," said Szu-chien.

Reuters also reported that the U.S. is preparing an arm sales package to Taiwan worth $14 billion.

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TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: bombshell; china; drones; redchina; taipei; taiwan; tds; uas

[MeanWestTexan]

I don’t think they know what “bombshell” means.

[Texas Eagle]

So that’s why the price of duct tape is skyrocketing.

[allendale]

Would not underestimate the ability of Taiwanese hackers to redirect J6 drones to new targets within China.

[Sirius Lee]

Man, that's embarrassing. It's like the retarded cousin of a Mig 19.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Ok so they attack. How are they going to occupy the place without amphibious landings across a hundred mile strait? I’m sure they have plenty of drones to not run out. Plus what’s a million Chinese casualties?

[nwrep]

Among the highest IQ people.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

So they are going to repurpose large, non-stealthy, high heat signature old planes into drones? And only a couple hundred of them? I’d think it wouldn’t be that hard to shoot them all down.

It’s not like a swarm of thousands or tens of thousands of expendable low-cost drones.

[Texas Eagle]

Plus what’s a million Chinese casualties?

A day in a Chinese prison.

[pas]

Maybe they are moving them to hide their actual planes. Watch what we are doing with these over here.

[fso301]

Need optically ranged and targeted AAA.

In a dense ECM environment, there is much need for computer controlled day/night optical detection, ranging and directing of rapid fire AAA.

[Tallguy]

Chinese AF J-16 Flankers shooting down Chinese J-6 Drones over the strait to get missile practice. The USAF shoots down QF-16 drones over the Gulf of America on a regular basis.

[alternatives?]

V-1?

[T.B. Yoits]

...large, non-stealthy, high heat signature old planes into drones? And only a couple hundred of them? I’d think it wouldn’t be that hard to shoot them all down. It’s not like a swarm of thousands or tens of thousands of expendable low-cost drones.

Every pound of fuel could be a pound of warhead. Instead of expending the energy to get the drone up to altitude, bring them up on the rails of an old jet, drop them, have them glide most of the distance and only use enough power to steer to their targets.

Those old jets could be used to deliver swarms of smaller drones from standoff distances. Get the old plane up to altitude at a safe distance and release glide bombs toward targets miles away. No motor - minimal heat signature. Once in the bomb nears the targets, it opens up like a cluster bomb and releases the smaller drones, which also may not need rocket motors with their targetable heat signatures.

The drones could function like bomblets or mines, but instead of being dropped haphazardly, they could be flown to precise locations such as along a bridge, in a tunnel, or covering a runway. Think of what mini-drones armed with white phosphorous could do to a fuel storage facility; just one per tank with a second as backup, and the whole farm goes up in flames.

[DownInFlames]

Is this because their new jets can’t fly more than 15 minutes without running out of fuel?

[Skwor]

I have found the highest IQ people to be clueless about life in general, High IQ does not give one common sense and an understanding of the big picture, in fact it often impedes such understanding,

A mile wide and an inch deep, shallow understanding of how the world actually works.

You will also find a limit to high IG correlating directly with innovation and creativity. IQ is more a threshold after which it does not have a significant impact.

[bravo whiskey]

“So they are going to repurpose large, non-stealthy, high heat signature old planes into drones? And only a couple hundred of them? I’d think it wouldn’t be that hard to shoot them all down.”

True but shooting them down costs SAMs that may not be available for ADA against the more modern jets.

[Who is John Galt?]

This is apparently the American version - QF86F drone:

;^)

[ProtectOurFreedom]

That's a great and innovative concept, but I don't think it is practical. There are too few hardpoints on the J-6 and the speed mismatch makes it impractical.

Hardpoint Limits. The J-6 has four underwing pylons (some configs list up to six stations total), with each rated for 550 lb. Total external ordnance load is typically limited to ~1,100 lb in ideal conditions, but performance suffers quickly. Each standard Shahed-136 weighs ~440 lb fully loaded (including its 60-100 lb warhead). You could realistically carry only 2 (maybe 3 in a pinch) per jet without dangerously overloading it or crippling flight performance/range. That's not a "swarm"—it's a couple of drones per sortie. True swarms (dozens at once) are what make Shaheds effective, and they're normally launched in salvos of 5+ from a single truck-mounted rail.

Size Limits. The Shahed's 11 ft length and 7 ft wingspan (delta-wing design) also won't fit cleanly under a small fighter's wings without major custom racks or wing-folding mods the drone doesn't have. It would create huge drag, stability issues, and likely structural problems on release.

Speed Mismatch (The Big Killer). Shahed-136 cruise speed: 115 mph. It uses a simple piston engine + pusher prop and is launched via rocket-assisted takeoff (RATO) from a ground rail at low speed. The booster is jettisoned once airborne, then the prop takes over. It's not designed for high-speed release. As a 1950s supersonic jet, the J-6 it has high stall/approach speeds—typically 140–185+ mph. It can't safely loiter or fly slow like a modern turboprop or drone carrier. Releasing the Shahed at jet speeds would be like dropping a lawnmower-engine drone into a 180+ mph slipstream: The prop/engine could overspeed or shred. The drone could tumble, fail to stabilize, or collide with the jet. No air-launch pylon or procedure exists for the standard Shahed-136 (Russia has air-launched larger Geran-5 variants from Su-25s in limited cases, but that's a different, bigger design).

Visibility: Carrying or launching Shahed drones from a vintage J-6 would make the whole setup an extremely easy target for modern air defenses, primarily because of the J-6’s large radar cross section (RCS) and strong heat (infrared) signature. The RCS would be far worse carrying drones on the hardpoints. It would be a sitting duck for modern air defenses.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I think we (or Taiwan) could afford to expend 200 SAMs or AAMs to take them out.