China will become the world’s largest manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles within the next decade, according to a report from Russia’s Military-Industrial Courier.
Citing industry analysts, the report also said Chinese arms dealers will account for about half the world’s UAV market by that time as well.
China has made major strides in UAV research and development over the last 10 years. While the domestic aviation industry is still imitating western products it has also begun developing it’s own unique drones, the report also said.
The China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province has been exhibiting around two dozen new Chinese UAV models annually in recent years, with notable examples being the WZ-200 compact UAV in 2000 and the AN-229A large UAV in 2008.
China has already begun exporting drones to foreign countries, with Chinese state media revealing last June that developers have sold domestic UAVs to three unnamed countries and were in negotiations with an additional five countries. There were also numerous reports that Saudi Arabia signed on to buy an unspecified number of Chengdu Pterodactyl I medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs in May this year.
The analysts said, however, that few of the UAVs developed by Chinese experts end up being manufactured for real-world use. China’s UAV technology is about 20 years behind its Western counterparts, particularly in the areas of antenna miniaturization technology, video communication systems and data link technology.
That said, the future of China’s UAV industry remains open due to the wide potential of applications for drone use. Apart from attacking targets and conducting surveillance, UAVs can also have expansive civilian purposes such as examining disaster zones, environmental protection, and weather or climate research.
The report predicted that China will soon begin to aggresively promote its UAVs, which are especially attractive to African and Middle-Eastern countries compared to Western countries due to their relatively low prices and fewer export restrictions.
Photo: Chinese UAVs on display at the 2014 Tianjin International UAV and Model Aircraft Technology Exhibition in August
Source: Want China Times