I still think these are all bad ideas; cost-effectiveness is still very low.
But I'm more interested in the sights. If I remember correctly, these are all automatically electronically activated after locking on. We might see these sights in the hands of PLA infantry in a few years.
Sure an FPV with the biggest demo charge it could lift is more efficient, out in the fields where opfor stand and fight, but what happens if they purposely hide themselves in amongst civilians as China’s most likely opponent in land warfare is practicing to do? I don’t think turning the place into another Gaza is particularly appealing to the PLA.
FPVs are basically entry level, it’s impressive how far Ukraine and Russia have taken them, but they are still crude and blunt tools at the end of the day, and the Russians and Ukrainians are pushing them to crazy extents because China is withholding more advanced drone tech so they cannot really climb the tech tree while keeping costs down and being able to make enough units to make a meaningful impact on the war. The Ukraine war is a useful example to consult, but it’s not the be all and end all of what drone warfare could be.
