Breaking News: China tests FPV controlled ground drones with rocket launchers in urban assault drills.

On August 22, 2025, footage broadcast on Chinese state television, CCTV, revealed an unprecedented training exercise of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force, as reported by X account user Jesús Román. The images showed armored infantry units of the 83rd Group Army, Central Theater Command, experimenting with unmanned ground vehicles armed with rocket launchers and remotely operated through first-person-view goggles and handheld manipulators. This development highlights Beijing’s increasing reliance on manned-unmanned teaming for high-intensity combat. Its relevance lies in the PLA’s effort to expand robotic warfare capabilities in semi-urban environments, signaling a potential shift in modern battlefield tactics.

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By equipping unmanned ground platforms with rocket launchers and controlling them through FPV systems, the PLA is laying the groundwork for a new phase of combined-arms warfare where machines precede soldiers into danger (Picture source: CCTV)

The training exercise involved the integration of Type 08 (ZBL-08) infantry fighting vehicles, infantry dismounts equipped with 120 mm rocket launchers and heavy machine guns, and newly introduced unmanned ground systems mounting rocket and grenade-type weapons. In a notable addition, some drones also carried loudspeakers, suggesting potential applications in psychological operations or crowd control. The robots advanced alongside infantry and armor, providing suppressive fire against fortified positions in the simulated semi-urban battlefield.

The unmanned systems used during the drills were remotely piloted with FPV goggles and handheld controllers, replicating methods widely adopted in small aerial drones. This allowed operators to maneuver the vehicles from secure positions while retaining real-time situational awareness. Development of such systems has followed the PLA’s broader trajectory of robotics integration, moving from reconnaissance drones to more heavily armed platforms capable of supporting mechanized infantry.

Compared with earlier concepts of remote-controlled ground assets, the PLA’s system represents a step closer to combat-ready deployment. Historically, projects such as the Russian Uran-9 or U.S. Army experiments with armed robotic vehicles faced challenges in autonomy, reliability, and integration with troops. The Chinese approach, simple, direct control through FPV systems, may bypass some of these hurdles, making the systems more immediately usable in combat. Their use in coordination with Type 08 IFVs demonstrates an approach to combined-arms tactics that merges traditional firepower with flexible robotic support.

The strategic implications are significant. For China, the deployment of remotely controlled ground drones enhances its capacity to wage high-intensity urban warfare, reducing risks to soldiers in exposed positions. Geopolitically, it signals Beijing’s determination to catch up with, and potentially surpass, rival militaries in robotic warfare. Regionally, it adds another layer to the PLA’s modernization program, which already emphasizes autonomy, AI integration, and advanced firepower. Militarily, such assets could alter the calculus of force protection, enabling infantry squads to enter contested zones with unmanned spearheads designed to absorb initial contact and neutralize enemy defenses.

The recent demonstration by the 83rd Group Army underscores how China is advancing toward practical battlefield integration of robotic vehicles, not as experimental prototypes but as functional assets to reinforce infantry and armored formations. By equipping unmanned ground platforms with rocket launchers and controlling them through FPV systems, the PLA is laying the groundwork for a new phase of combined-arms warfare where machines precede soldiers into danger. This move illustrates Beijing’s intent to redefine its ground combat capabilities and signals to the international defense community that the era of robotic land warfare is approaching faster than expected.