China works on integrating aerial, ground and maritime unmanned systems
China is working on integrating unmanned platforms in the air, on land and at sea. The long-term goal is to create a combat network capable of coordinating different systems across multiple environments, the South China Morning Post reported, citing the Intelligent Technology Institute of the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC).
From homogeneous swarms to different platforms
The institute explained that drone swarm technology is not merely the simultaneous flight of many aircraft. It is described as a distributed intelligent system in which unmanned aircraft exchange data, coordinate actions, make local decisions and jointly build capabilities.
According to the institute, China has made progress in developing and deploying swarms of homogeneous drones. The next stage is expected to be coordinating different unmanned platforms throughout the entire operational area and across aerial, ground and maritime environments.
In January, Chinese state media released footage showing the operation of one of the advanced swarm-control systems. According to their data, one serviceman could control up to 200 drones.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Claimed capabilities and limitations
The CETC institute said that large-scale field tests demonstrated swarms' ability to independently reconfigure networks, fill gaps in formation and continue missions after the loss of individual aircraft, communication disruptions and under conditions of intense electromagnetic interference.
According to the developers' assessment, the systems can combine sensor data from several drones, detect camouflaged objects and determine their location. At the same time, the institute acknowledged the need to improve the detection and identification of small concealed objects with weak sensor signatures amid complex backgrounds and interference.
Further development
CETC also said that China has mastered key technologies for coordinating and controlling large groups of drones. According to the institute, such aircraft can be launched from different platforms, independently change formation, plan routes, avoid collisions and distribute tasks.
However, coordinating different types of drones and unmanned systems in the air, on land and at sea, as well as integrating them into joint operations of different branches of the armed forces, remains a difficult task. Fully autonomous real-time learning and tactical decision-making in complex unfamiliar conditions are still at an early stage of development, according to the institute's assessment.
