China’s ‘leap forward’ in drone weapons

China’s military is in the midst of an innovation and manufacturing boom in drone weaponry — a “leap forward,” as one expert put it, that seeks to outpace the U.S. and prepare Beijing for a potential war over Taiwan.

While the war in Ukraine has driven much of the recent news and analysis about drone warfare — most recently, the stunning strike that the Ukrainians carried out against five Russian military bases — U.S. national security officials are increasingly concerned about the strides China’s military is taking in drone innovation.

A recent U.S. Defense Department report found that China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) “is modernizing and indigenizing its aircraft and unmanned aerial systems, rapidly matching U.S. standards.”

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