China has successfully tested a new combat system that integrates armored vehicles and drone swarms, Chinese media reported on Wednesday. This technology will allow armored troops to acquire more battlefield information and launch deadly attacks. Liu Xuanzun reports on Global Times.
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Chinese armored vehicles and a drone swarm during integrated training (Picture souce : screenshot from cctv.com)

The integrated drone swarm-armored vehicle combat system made its public debut in a statement recently released by its developer, a subsidiary of the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), reported Weihutang, a China Central Television program on military affairs, on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020. In May, an undisclosed unit of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted a series of utilization training with this system, which was successful, Weihutang reported, citing the CASIC statement. Drone swarm technology is an important trend, as mass-produced drones are of low cost, can cover a wide area, and are flexible and expendable, the report said.

Citing a plan released by the US Department of Defense in 2018, Weihutang said that the U.S. is aiming to use drone swarms to cover ground troops by engaging in reconnaissance, close-range aerial support and communications relay, adding that China has also been studying similar approaches, and has tested a swarm of 67 drones in 2016.

By launching an interconnected drone swarm, the armored vehicle on the ground can understand the battlefield situation much faster than using only a single drone, even if such a system demands a very efficient and jamming-resistant communication system. Drones can also be armed or launch suicide attacks.