Perilous Times
China's New series of unmanned attack Drones Raise Eyebrows
By JEREMY PAGE
ZHUHAI, China—China is ramping up production of unmanned aerial
vehicles in an apparent bid to catch up with the U.S. and Israel in
developing technology that is considered the future of military
aviation.
Air Show China 2010
China's J-10 fighter jets performed during the Air Show 2010 in Zhuhai,
southern China's Guangzhou province, Wednesday.
Western defense officials and experts were surprised to see more than
25 different Chinese models of the unmanned aircraft, known as UAVs, on
display at this week's Zhuhai air show in this southern Chinese city.
It was a record number for a country that unveiled its first concept
UAVs at the same air show only four years ago, and put a handful on
display at the last one in 2008.
The apparent progress in UAVs is a stark sign of China's ambition to
upgrade its massive military as its global political and economic clout
grows.
The U.S. and Israel are currently the world leaders in developing such
pilotless drones, which have played a major role in the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan, and which analysts say could one day replace the
fighter jet.
This year's models in Zhuhai included several designed to fire
missiles, and one powered by a jet engine, meaning it could—in
theory—fly faster than the propeller-powered Predator and Reaper drones
that the U.S. has used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
[crt_airshow] The Wall Street Journal
The jet-powered WJ600, for reconnaissance and attacks.
Exhibitors didn't give precise details of which Chinese drones were
fully operational, although one confirmed that the People's Liberation
Army, or PLA, had deployed at least two propeller-powered
reconnaissance UAVs, which featured in last year's 60th National Day
parade.
But the large number of UAVs on display illustrates clearly that China
is investing considerable time and money to develop drone technology,
and is actively promoting its products on the international market.
That has implications for China's external and domestic security, as
well as for many other countries, including Iran, that have sought in
vain to acquire drones either for military purposes or for police
surveillance and antiterrorist operations.
It is of particular concern to the U.S. and Israel, whose drones are
unrivalled in the world today, and could worry China's neighbors, many
of which have territorial disputes with China in the East and South
China seas.
China's apparent progress is likely to spur others, especially India
and Japan, to accelerate their own UAV development or acquisition
programs.
U.S. anxiety about China's UAVs were highlighted in a report released
Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission,
which was formed by Congress in 2000 to assess the national security
implications of trade and economic relations with China.
"The PLA Air Force has deployed several types of unmanned aerial
vehicles for both reconnaissance and combat purposes," the report said.
"In addition, China is developing a variety of medium- and
high-altitude long-endurance unmanned vehicles, which when deployed,
will expand the PLA Air Force's 'options for long-range reconnaissance
and strike,' " it said, citing an earlier Pentagon report.
Military and aviation experts said China's drones are still probably
several years behind U.S. and Israeli models, noting that many
countries have tried and failed to develop their own UAVs. But they
also said that China is catching up fast in other areas of civil and
military aviation technology, thanks in large part to technology
transferred by foreign aerospace companies in Chinese joint ventures.
They suggested, too, that China had been helped by Israel, which sold
China antiradar drones in the 1990s—to the fury of the Pentagon, which
has since blocked the Israelis from providing upgrades.
The Chinese drone of greatest potential concern to the U.S. is the one
with several missiles and a jet engine—called the WJ600—which was
displayed by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp., or Casic,
one of China's top weapons makers.
Casic officials declined to comment, but a video and a two-dimensional
display by the company showed Chinese forces using the WJ600 to help
attack what appeared to be a U.S. aircraft carrier steaming toward an
island off China's coast that many visitors assumed to be Taiwan.
The Buzz on China's Drones
Still behind the U.S. and Israel, China is starting to catch up:
* Jet Drone: The WJ600 from China Aerospace Science & Industry
Corp. has several missiles and a jet engine and is the Chinese drone of
greatest potential concern to the U.S.
* Drone in Space? China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp.,
one of the main contractors in China's space program, displayed an
attack drone, complete with air-to-ground missiles.
* Largest Drone:ASN Technology's ASN-229A Reconnaissance and
Precise Attack UAV, the largest drone at the show, carries air-to
ground missiles and uses a satellite link to find targets over a radius
of 2,000 kilometers 1,250 miles.
* Avian Drone:The ASN-211, a model under development, is about the
size of a large duck and has flapping wings. It is designed for
reconnaissance behind enemy lines.
—WSJ research
Another company that displayed an attack drone, complete with
air-to-ground missiles, was China Aerospace Science & Technology
Corp., one of the main contractors in China's space program.
The company showing the most UAVs, with 10, was ASN Technology Group,
which claims to control 90% of China's domestic market. ASN officials
said two of those are already being used by the PLA but neither was
designed to carry weapons.
However, their display also included a model of the largest UAV at the
show, the ASN-229A Reconnaissance and Precise Attack UAV, which is
designed to carry air-to ground missiles, and to use a satellite link
to locate and attack targets over a radius of 2,000 kilometers.
Company officials said that and the other ASN models were all in
production, but not yet all on the market, and most could be used for
military operations as well as civilian ones such as monitoring
electricity pylons and oil and gas pipelines.
One model under development was the ASN-211, which is about the size of
a large duck and has flapping wings. It is designed primarily for
carrying out reconnaissance behind enemy lines.
"I can't tell you which models we have sold overseas, as that's secret,
but of course we're interested in exporting them," said one of the
company officials. "That's why we're displaying them here."