A Really Big Deal: China is a Drone Superpower.

[SBUS-CXK]

or years, drone warfare has been an essentially American pursuit. The new age of armed robots has been symbolized by Predators and Reapers spewing Hellfire missiles.

But guess who’s the biggest exporter of combat drones? China.

“In 2014–18 China became the largest exporter in the niche market of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), with states in the Middle East among the main recipients,” according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which compiles estimates of global military strength and arms spending.

A car bomb explodes at Russell Street Police HQ in Melbourne, killing one police officer and injuring 21 people.


The first 4.6 miles of the Washington Metro subway system opens.









Sponsored
Advertisement









Sponsored
Advertisement

Indeed, combat drones are spreading across the globe. “The number of countries that import and use unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs)—which are remotely controlled armed aircraft often referred to as armed drones—continued to increase in 2014-18,” SIPRI said.

“There is widespread discussion about the impact of UCAV proliferation on peace and security. China has become the primary exporter of UCAVs. Whereas China exported 10 UCAVs to 2 countries in 2009-13, in 2014-18 it exported 153 to 13 countries—5 of which are in the Middle East: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In contrast, the United States delivered three UCAVs in 2009-13 and five in 2014-18. In both periods all the deliveries were to the United Kingdom. Iran delivered 10 UCAVs to Syria in 2014-18, while the UAE delivered 2 to Algeria.”

Report Advertisement
This explains why the U.S. Army, which has been lackadaisical about air defense for years, is now suddenly interested. Nations such as Iran are far inferior to the United States in conventional combat weapons such as tanks and jet fighters, but it doesn’t take much money or advanced technology to strap a bomb onto a small drone that’s hard to detect or shoot down.

China’s arms exports are slowing after a massive surge over the last few years. After nearly tripling between 2004 and 2013, they increased by only 2.7 percent over the 2014 to 2018. Interestingly, China’s more aggressive foreign policy in Asia has hampered its arms exports. “China’s arms exports are limited by the fact that many countries—including 4 of the top 10 arms importers in 2014-18 (India, Australia, South Korea and Vietnam)—will not procure Chinese arms for political reasons,” SIPRI noted.

Report Advertisement
During the Cold War and after, China was notorious as an exporter of cheap knockoffs of old Soviet hardware such as tanks and jet fighters. Yet China’s push to develop Western-style smart weapons, from aircraft carriers to stealth fighters, appears to be paying economic dividends. “Improvements in Chinese military technology have opened up opportunities for arms export growth, including exports to new customers,” said SIPRI.

“The number of countries to which China delivers major arms has grown significantly over the past few years. In 2014-18 China delivered major arms to 53 countries, compared with 41 in 2009-13 and 32 in 2004-2008. Pakistan was the main recipient (37 per cent) in 2014-18, as it has been for all five-year periods since 1991. China supplied relatively small volumes of major arms to a wide variety of countries: 39 of the 53 recipients in 2014-18 each accounted for less than 1 per cent of total Chinese arms exports.”


However, China’s arms exports haven’t totally dampened Beijing’s appetite for imported—mostly Russian—arms. China was the world’s sixth-largest importer of weapons between 2014 and 2018, down 7 percent from the 2009 to 2013 time period. “Russia accounted for 70 per cent of Chinese arms imports in 2014-18,” SIPRI estimated. “China remains reliant on imports for certain arms technologies such as engines for combat aircraft and large ships as well as long-range air and missile defense systems. Its own arms industry has yet to develop the technological capability to match Russian suppliers in these fields.”

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/really-big-deal-china-drone-superpower-47692

 

[Get Ya Wig Split]

Stop with this bullshit Propaganda lil busta @Two

quality over quantity lil busta @Two

 

[SBUS-CXK]

Stop with this bullshit Propaganda lil busta @Two

Sorry, this is independent news. Your IQ may not understand.

US Air Force Requisitions Chinese Origin DJI Drones
http://www.defenseworld.net/news/23...itions_Chinese_Origin_DJI_Drones#.XCOZ9WDTAVc

Australian Air Force Inspect Aircraft with DJI Drones
https://dronelife.com/2018/11/27/australian-air-force-inspect-aircraft-dji-drones/

Israel Defense Forces to issue troops with Chinese drones
https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d51444d794d444e/share_p.html

@Get Ya Wig Split Your IQ is too low. Stop replying to me.

Stop with this bullshit Propaganda lil busta @Two

quality over quantity lil busta @Two

yes, quality over quantity lil busta.

China’s Drones Are Taking on ISIS (And Here’s Why America Should Worry)


Chinese-made drones are proving their worth in combat.

by Arnaud Delalande
On Feb. 12th, 2018, the Iraqi ministry of defense released a video depicting its Chinese-made CH-4B armed unmanned aerial vehicles. The brief report underscores the type’s success in Iraqi service.

The video claims that the CH-4B drones have executed most of their attack and reconnaissance missions in northwest Iraq. Since their entry into operational service, they have performed no fewer than 260 air strikes against Islamic State targets, with a success rate close to 100 percent.

Iraq ordered its CH-4Bs from China in 2014, probably after the visit to Iraq by the Chinese foreign minister in February of that year. The CH-4 is inspired by the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and is designed by China Aerospace Long March International.

0
SECONDS
Do You Know What Happened On This Day?
Mar
27
1986



A car bomb explodes at Russell Street Police HQ in Melbourne, killing one police officer and injuring 21 people.


Italian former minister and Christian Democracy leader Giulio Andreotti is accused of mafia allegiance by the tribunal of Palermo.

The CH-4B version, as ordered by Iraq, can carry a payload of 761 pounds, compared to the CH-4A with its 254-pound payload. Weapons can include two AR-1/HJ-10 anti-tank guided missiles, Chinese equivalents of the Lockheed Martin AGM 114 Hellfire, and two FT-9 GPS-guided bombs.

The CH-4B has a ceiling of 23,000 feet, a cruise speed of up to 112 miles per hour, a maximum speed of 130 miles per hour, an endurance of 14 hours and an operating radius of 155 miles. The first batch was received on Jan. 23, 2015 and the first photographs — showing three vehicles — circulated that March.

Report Advertisement
Recommended: America’s Battleships Went to War Against North Korea

Recommended: 5 Places World War III Could Start in 2018

Report Advertisement
Recommended: How North Korea Could Start a War

Thereafter, the drones were integrated in the apparently newly-established 100th Squadron and carried out a number of reconnaissance missions from their base at Al Kut. In the autumn of 2015, some pilots said that the UAVs were attached to the 84th Attack Squadron, part of Iraqi army aviation, but the latest footage provided by Iraqi defense ministry show clearly Iraqi troops wearing the 100th Squadron patch.


On Oct. 10th, 2015, CH-4B serial number YI-801 made its first public flight during a visit to Al Kut by Iraqi defense minister Khaled Al Obeidi. The UAV was carrying two HJ-10s and fired one of these against a ground target southeast of Baghdad.

During this mission, the UAV remained within its radio control range of just 155 miles and did not employ a satellite relay. A Chinese operator was present in the control room during the flight, indicating that Iraq was not yet able to employ the UAVs autonomously. Four vehicles were noted. One on the runway, one on the apron and two others in hangars.


On Dec. 6th, 2015 a CH-4B from the 84th Attack Squadron conducted an air strike in Ramadi, destroying an artillery piece hidden in a factory. This gun was targeting Iraqi forces stationed at Palestine Bridge, northwest of the city.

A few days later, one of the Iraqi UAVs targeted a gathering of ISIS fighters to the west of the city of Ramadi, destroying one vehicle with an HG-10 missile. On Dec. 9, 2015, a CH-4B destroyed an explosives manufacturing plant in the area of Al Kiara. On Feb. 16th, 2016, another UAV destroyed an equipment depot.


On March 1, operations began with the aim of liberating Samarra Island. CH-4Bs neutralized car bombs west of the city. On May 23, 2016, an army CH-4B monitored ISIS activity in the city of Fallujah and used HJ-10 guided missiles to destroy a car carrying an IED.

The Chinese CH-4 was first seen at the Zhuhai airshow in 2012. In 2013 and 2014, Algeria evaluated the CH-4, but lost two of the type during testing flights at Tindouf and Ain Oussera air bases. The CH-4Bs were exported to Saudi Arabia and Egypt and were first spotted at Jizan Regional Airport on July 10, 2015, from which they performed mission over Yemen.


In September 2016, one of the type was shot down by Houthi air defenses. During IDEX 2017 – the International Defence Exhibition that takes place at Abu Dhabi in February — it was announced that Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with ALIT to manufacture all types of CH UAVs in the kingdom.

But for now, the CH-4 is most famous for its role in Iraq’s campaign against ISIS.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/t...ing-isis-heres-why-america-should-worry-24581
@Get Ya Wig Split Your low IQ is interesting.