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China Demonstrates 25+ Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
overThruster writes "The Wall Street Journal and Defense News report that China had more than 25 different unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on display at the Zhuhai Airshow. In addition to a jet powered UAV that is potentially faster than US made drones such as the Predator and Reaper, the Chinese have developed an unmanned 'thopter' for surveillance. 'ASN showed off 10 different UAVs, including the new ASN-211 Flapping Wing Aircraft System, which simulates a bird in flight. The prototype on display has a take-off weight of only 220 grams with a maximum speed of six-to-10 meters a second and an altitude ranging from 20-200 meters. A spokesperson said the micro-UAV would mainly be used for low-altitude reconnaissance for troops in the field.'"
It's not technically stolen. We started by sending our manufacturing plants to China, higher Technical jobs, followed by Research jobs... Now China has l everything it needs to build new technology: Manufacturing + qualified labour + brains... Just yesterday i was thinking: Can US build a LCD with 100% us manufactured components... I'm thinking the answer is No.
BSD licensed software can't be stolen....
One unintended consequence of the CIA's armed UAV air strikes is the US has basically said it is legal to target persons in third countries with UAVs. Sooner or later the Chinese will do the same. The US will protest, and China will remind them that they are only doing what the CIA has been doing for years.
Ya kidding right? Do you think there's a factory in Wyoming that makes UAVs or something?
How we know is more important than what we know.
My guess is: none. The notorious mode operandi of chinese military industry is to buy one or two pieces of a particular equipment (for instance, the finnish Patria AMV), pull it apart to the last bolt and nut, and copy the design. Chinese are supreme artists in this, and thanks to their powerful and flexible industrial base, they can start up production faster than anyone on Earth (at this point.
Various countries have sold them military drones. My guess is that none of those displayed is fruit of chinese R&D.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
An almost tyrant government with great military power. This never ended well for humanity whenever it happened in history.
A tiny UAV can't carry any meaningful cargo
A comment which shows a surprising lack of imagination. How much does $5 million worth of diamonds weigh? Or how about large numbers of flights carrying small amounts of say, cocaine or heroin?
We have numerous technologies for shooting down missiles
Yes but this is a model aircraft traveling at 35mph and 100ft in the air, with virtually no heat signature (especially the electric ones powered by lithium batteries) and very little radar signature. How will your 5 million dollar missile distinguish between this and ground clutter?
As for infrastructure - right. You won't bust bunkers with this, but I wonder what a couple of them filled with incendiary material could do to a petrochemical tank farm or an oil refinery...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
Prices for chinese made goods have been kept artificially low due to currency manipulation by their government, slave labor-level wages and working conditions and a practical absence of environmental & consumer protection regulations. All these actions were deliberately taken by the chinese government in order to jump start their own economy while stealing entire segments of their competitors economies. Their carefully premeditated goal is nothing less than the destruction of the power of the west and the ascension of china to the pre-eminent power on earth.
When they finally do allow their currency to rise it will be with the goal of delivering an economic death blow to the west and the US in particular. If you think times are tough now, just wait until those cheap chinese goods cost roughly 10 times as much as their current prices. With our own industrial base crushed we will have no choice but to eat what we are fed at whatever price they demand.
People complain about abuse of power by the US; We will soon live in a world where the world's largest country (in terms of population) with the world's largest economy will be controlled by unelected dictators with no motivation whatsoever to adhere to standards of fair or ethical behavior.
Say hello to your coming third world existence.
I have mod points. The reign of terror begins now.