Posted on 02/07/2024 3:57:16 AM PST by FarCenter
China has revealed an ambitious plan to transform its military operations through the integration of more advanced unmanned systems, a strategic shift toward drone-led special operations in war scenarios including a potential conflict with the US over Taiwan.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported this month that China’s military plans to replace humans with machines in special operations overseas to mitigate the high risks of such missions.
Scientists are working with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to develop unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) capable of flying vast distances, diving deep underwater and lying in wait for long periods, the SCMP report said.
The PLA’s 78092 unit has revealed details about a hypothetical overseas special operations plan published in the Fire Control & Command Control journal, aiming to help Chinese companies, engineers and scientists better understand the military’s needs and strategic goals.
The PLA’s plan says the hypothetical operation is set in 2035 when a small-scale conflict between China and an unnamed neighboring country occurs, with the caveat that both sides agree to limit their equipment to small arms including small boats, drones and anti-aircraft guns.
In that 2035 scenario, the PLA is tasked with striking swiftly and silently at key enemy installations including critical command and supply hubs deep behind enemy lines.
The UAVs purpose-built for special operations must be capable of operating both alone and in coordinated swarms, flying at extremely low altitudes, navigating obstacles, engaging beyond visual range and pursuing and eliminating enemy forces, the SCMP report said.
It notes that advanced intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) systems must also allow them to hover over the battlefield after an initial attack, assess the damage and determine whether further action is required. The PLA team took inspiration from US military tactics, the report said.
China has been relatively opaque about how it envisions using drones in a potential regional conflict so the Fire Control & Command Control journal article offers a rare glimpse of its drone warfare ambitions and intentions.
The Chicoms.
If any FReepers are in the Association of Old Crows and read the JED (Journal of Electronic Dominance), you’ll feel a bit better about our ability to defeat enemy drone weapons systems if you review JED issues and articles from about the last four months. The US (with allies) have developed some really effective anti-drone systems. They range from man-portable to theater-wide.
I own a DJI Mavic Air 2 drone and it’s a wonderful toy.
I’m amazed by how much smarts they put into it.
I long ago predicted that future wars will include drone *armadas*, and the realistic way to fight an armada is with another armada. My key point is that the overwhelming majority of these drones will be built “on the cheap”, for about the same price as an economy car.
Which means any nation that can manufacture economy cars can build drones. A single Boeing F-15EX Eagle II costs over $90 million each. You can build a LOT of $50,000 drones for that amount of money. They might kill a thousand of them, but every one that gets through can reap havoc. Most will be on suicide missions.
Lots of these drones will use a combination of cheap computer, and hardware guidance, so if their computer is electronically fried, they might lose a little accuracy, but will still make it to their target. Otherwise, electronic interference will have little to no effect on them.
I wonder how one Phalax would respond to 100 swarming drones...
Don’t see that on youtube
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