Takshashila SlideDoc - China’s Approach to Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Drone Autonomy

Published September 28, 2023

Executive Summary

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, largely referred to as UAVs or drones in this document, have become all the rage in performing a host of military and defence-related functions, including Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), ground attack, and countering electromagnetic interference from the enemy. Chinese military policy is paying significant attention to the development and deployment of drones around the world, and is deploying its own ‘Military-Civilian Fusion’ (MCF) strategy to create a drone industry capable of meeting the demands of modern warfare.

This also includes equipping drones with autonomous and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled systems, in a quest to achieve the goals of ‘intelligentised’ warfare. This document assesses Chinese military policy on UAVs. It further details use cases of contemporary Chinese drone systems in military training, dogfighting, electronic countermeasures, and ISR, among others. It also identifies some Chinese drone systems with autonomous capabilities. In its annexure, the document discusses drone types and stakeholders involved.

In addition, this document studies drone deployments in the PLA Western Theater Command, the structural constraints faced by the Chinese military UAV ecosystem, and potential future points of emphasis for China’s efforts in the domain.

Attribution: Anushka Saxena, “China’s Approach to Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and Drone Autonomy,” Takshashila Discussion SlideDoc, Takshashila Institution, 28 September 2023, takshashila.org.in/research/takshashila-slidedoc-chinas-approach-to-military-unmanned-aerial-vehicles-and-drone-autonomy.

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