I would send in a bnch of guys with manpads to take them down
Chinese UAV/UCAV development
- Thread starter AssassinsMace
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I would send in a bnch of guys with manpads to take them down
The very fact that we have to quibble about these minor differences between the two demonstrators, like the number of drones controlled, or the way they are deployed, is exactly why I believe the original statement you made is baseless.
If you want to say the US is "firmly" ahead of China or anyone else in this specific area (which I assume is going to be drone swarm development), would require an obvious and significant lead. Between the Perdix demonstration and what CETC has demonstrated, I do not consider Perdix to be such a significant lead at all -- they did control more drones (I think the CETC one involved 50 drones when counting the video) and they were deployed by fighters, but CETC's drones are also bigger than Perdix likely with longer endurance, and neither are really that suitable for any realistic missions apart from low intensity surveillance and possibly suicide drone type missions.
In fact, what is more important than the physical systems itself is the ability to demonstrate that a sizeable swarm can be controlled to conduct missions as a swarm, and I think that is the far bigger milestone which both achieve.
But neither demonstrations show their drone swarms to have hope for anything beyond niche low intensity mission profiles.
At the very least, I think you greatly overreached with your original statement. The Pentagon's Perdix demo was impressive, yes, but does it give the US a "firm lead" over China? I doubt it. Hell, I'm not even sure if the Perdix demo gives the US a "firm lead" over other nations that haven't even developed drone swarms yet -- I think low tech drone swarm demonstrations if anything are the kind of technology that even small nations can implement in future.
It is implementing the technology to higher tier platforms like cruise missiles and UCAVs that will be the big steps to look for, and if the US or anyone else is able to do that before other nations then that would be worthy of claiming a "firm lead".
AssassinsMace
Lieutenant General
They just showed a bunch of drones flying around. China did the same. The number is sort of irrelevant except it broke a record. And it's unclear that the three F-18s launched all 300. I read another article somewhere saying what they showed on 60 Minutes was not actually the 300 record breaker. That was a lower number launch. Chinese literature has their drones launched from artillery like MRLS rockets. Don't have to worry about your fighters being shot down delivering the drones.
Intended affects reminds a more coordinated Bat Bomb. If endurance issue was overcome, could swarms avoid or overwhelm SAM defences over key targets and make for a more successful ground strike? Off course jamming is still a problem, especially over masses of small drones of design simplicity.
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Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
If Iran can spoof sophisticated RQ170,what chance do small and simple uav has. I would say none!
Anyway on different subject China Xianglong is now operational. Now this is news as now China has High altitude long range endurance(HALE) UAV surveillance
翔龍無人機、2015年で量産、実戦部隊に正式配備
Xianglong drone, mass production in 2015, formal deployment to the actual warfare unit
and so do JL9H
Anyway on different subject China Xianglong is now operational. Now this is news as now China has High altitude long range endurance(HALE) UAV surveillance
翔龍無人機、2015年で量産、実戦部隊に正式配備
Xianglong drone, mass production in 2015, formal deployment to the actual warfare unit
and so do JL9H
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Just to refresh the memory what Xianglong can do.
From China Daily. This is the one that has tandem wing I think. With a range of 7000 It can survey the West Pacific with no problem
This would add to the Anti denial/ASBM sensor armory
New drone to beef up PLA aerial skills
By Zhao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2016-12-07 06:57
The Xianglong, or Soar Dragon, drone is seen in this file photo. Provided To China Daily
Aircraft is said to have cruise speed of 750 km/h and range of 7,000 km
The People's Liberation Army will soon have an unusually shaped drone, which is expected to strengthen the Chinese military's aerial reconnaissance capabilities.
An unknown number of Xianglong, or Soar Dragon, high-altitude, long-endurance drones have been produced by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, which is part of the State-owned aircraft maker Aviation Industry Corp of China, according to aviation sources.
The aircraft is believed to be undergoing testing and is expected to be delivered to the PLA soon, sources said, adding that it is likely to become China's answer to the United States' Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, considered to be the most well-known unpiloted surveillance drone in the world.
With an innovative "joined tandem wing" design, the drone's configuration is different from all other Chinese manned and unmanned planes - it has a conventional swept wing joined with a forward swept wing, which makes it look like a traditional Chinese kite.
In accordance with Chinese regulations, Guizhou Aviation Industry Group has not, and will not, reveal characteristics of the drone.
However, AirForces Monthly, a British military aviation magazine, said Xianglong has a cruise speed of 750 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 7,000 km. It is capable of operating for 10 hours and can fly up to an altitude of 18,000 meters, the magazine said.
Xianglong was unveiled in 2006 at an air show in China, but later disappeared from public view until 2011 when a prototype was seen at an airport run by the Aviation Industry Corp of China.
No other news on the drone's development has been leaked since then, and whether it has conducted its first flight remains unknown.
However, since July, speculation about the mass production of Xianglong started to circulate on Chinese defense technology websites after Guizhou Aviation Industry Group published a photo of one of its manufacturing facilities on the internet, with two yellow Xianglong models in a corner of the picture, leading observers to discuss whether the inclusion was intentional.
"Xianglong's unique design makes it suitable for long operations at high altitude. Once the drone is commissioned to the military, it will boost the PLA's long-range reconnaissance capabilities," said Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine.
"Moreover, the jet is a good platform for electronic warfare operations such as signal intelligence collection and electronic jamming," he added.
The PLA has become a big user of unmanned aircraft thanks to the rapid development of the drone industry in China. The military showed three types of unpiloted, fixed-wing planes at the most recent parade in September last year. It is also said to have deployed several other models.
Advances in the nation's drone technology have also benefitted at least 10 foreign countries, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan, with foreign media reporting such countries have bought and deployed Chinese military drones.
From China Daily. This is the one that has tandem wing I think. With a range of 7000 It can survey the West Pacific with no problem
This would add to the Anti denial/ASBM sensor armory
New drone to beef up PLA aerial skills
By Zhao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2016-12-07 06:57
Aircraft is said to have cruise speed of 750 km/h and range of 7,000 km
The People's Liberation Army will soon have an unusually shaped drone, which is expected to strengthen the Chinese military's aerial reconnaissance capabilities.
An unknown number of Xianglong, or Soar Dragon, high-altitude, long-endurance drones have been produced by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, which is part of the State-owned aircraft maker Aviation Industry Corp of China, according to aviation sources.
The aircraft is believed to be undergoing testing and is expected to be delivered to the PLA soon, sources said, adding that it is likely to become China's answer to the United States' Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, considered to be the most well-known unpiloted surveillance drone in the world.
With an innovative "joined tandem wing" design, the drone's configuration is different from all other Chinese manned and unmanned planes - it has a conventional swept wing joined with a forward swept wing, which makes it look like a traditional Chinese kite.
In accordance with Chinese regulations, Guizhou Aviation Industry Group has not, and will not, reveal characteristics of the drone.
However, AirForces Monthly, a British military aviation magazine, said Xianglong has a cruise speed of 750 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 7,000 km. It is capable of operating for 10 hours and can fly up to an altitude of 18,000 meters, the magazine said.
Xianglong was unveiled in 2006 at an air show in China, but later disappeared from public view until 2011 when a prototype was seen at an airport run by the Aviation Industry Corp of China.
No other news on the drone's development has been leaked since then, and whether it has conducted its first flight remains unknown.
However, since July, speculation about the mass production of Xianglong started to circulate on Chinese defense technology websites after Guizhou Aviation Industry Group published a photo of one of its manufacturing facilities on the internet, with two yellow Xianglong models in a corner of the picture, leading observers to discuss whether the inclusion was intentional.
"Xianglong's unique design makes it suitable for long operations at high altitude. Once the drone is commissioned to the military, it will boost the PLA's long-range reconnaissance capabilities," said Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine.
"Moreover, the jet is a good platform for electronic warfare operations such as signal intelligence collection and electronic jamming," he added.
The PLA has become a big user of unmanned aircraft thanks to the rapid development of the drone industry in China. The military showed three types of unpiloted, fixed-wing planes at the most recent parade in September last year. It is also said to have deployed several other models.
Advances in the nation's drone technology have also benefitted at least 10 foreign countries, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan, with foreign media reporting such countries have bought and deployed Chinese military drones.
Just to refresh the memory what Xianglong can do.
From China Daily. This is the one that has tandem wing I think. With a range of 7000 It can survey the West Pacific with no problem
This would add to the Anti denial/ASBM sensor armory
New drone to beef up PLA aerial skills
By Zhao Lei | China Daily | Updated: 2016-12-07 06:57
The Xianglong, or Soar Dragon, drone is seen in this file photo. Provided To China Daily
Aircraft is said to have cruise speed of 750 km/h and range of 7,000 km
The People's Liberation Army will soon have an unusually shaped drone, which is expected to strengthen the Chinese military's aerial reconnaissance capabilities.
An unknown number of Xianglong, or Soar Dragon, high-altitude, long-endurance drones have been produced by Guizhou Aviation Industry Group, which is part of the State-owned aircraft maker Aviation Industry Corp of China, according to aviation sources.
The aircraft is believed to be undergoing testing and is expected to be delivered to the PLA soon, sources said, adding that it is likely to become China's answer to the United States' Northrop Grumman RQ-4 Global Hawk, considered to be the most well-known unpiloted surveillance drone in the world.
With an innovative "joined tandem wing" design, the drone's configuration is different from all other Chinese manned and unmanned planes - it has a conventional swept wing joined with a forward swept wing, which makes it look like a traditional Chinese kite.
In accordance with Chinese regulations, Guizhou Aviation Industry Group has not, and will not, reveal characteristics of the drone.
However, AirForces Monthly, a British military aviation magazine, said Xianglong has a cruise speed of 750 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 7,000 km. It is capable of operating for 10 hours and can fly up to an altitude of 18,000 meters, the magazine said.
Xianglong was unveiled in 2006 at an air show in China, but later disappeared from public view until 2011 when a prototype was seen at an airport run by the Aviation Industry Corp of China.
No other news on the drone's development has been leaked since then, and whether it has conducted its first flight remains unknown.
However, since July, speculation about the mass production of Xianglong started to circulate on Chinese defense technology websites after Guizhou Aviation Industry Group published a photo of one of its manufacturing facilities on the internet, with two yellow Xianglong models in a corner of the picture, leading observers to discuss whether the inclusion was intentional.
"Xianglong's unique design makes it suitable for long operations at high altitude. Once the drone is commissioned to the military, it will boost the PLA's long-range reconnaissance capabilities," said Wang Ya'nan, editor-in-chief of Aerospace Knowledge magazine.
"Moreover, the jet is a good platform for electronic warfare operations such as signal intelligence collection and electronic jamming," he added.
The PLA has become a big user of unmanned aircraft thanks to the rapid development of the drone industry in China. The military showed three types of unpiloted, fixed-wing planes at the most recent parade in September last year. It is also said to have deployed several other models.
Advances in the nation's drone technology have also benefitted at least 10 foreign countries, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan, with foreign media reporting such countries have bought and deployed Chinese military drones.
I wouldn't take the specs of this China Daily report too seriously, because they are doing that thing where they are quoting foreign media about doemstic military projects.
For example, I would be very surprised if Xianglong only has an endurance of 10 hours.
Hendrik_2000
Lieutenant General
Yes I wouldn't surprise if Xiaolong endurance is more than quoted. I know the western estimate is always off . But lacking of any official spec, ball park number is better than nothing
and 7000 km it is respectable distance
Quickie
Colonel
Agreed. The point of the tandem wing design is endurance. It should come with a much improved endurance (much better than 10 hrs), albeit at the cost of maybe some speed performance.
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