China Unveils New Armoured Vehicle Capable Of Launching 12 Suicide Drones

Authored by defenseworld.net and submitted by QuantumThinkology
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China has unveiled a new armoured vehicle that is capable of firing 12 suicide drones to launch attacks on targets and to conduct reconnaissance operations on Tuesday at the Beijing Civil-Military Integration Expo 2019.

The 5.7 meter-long, 2.4 meter-wide 4x4 off-road vehicle was developed by Beijing Zhongzi Yanjing Auto Co Ltd. It has a max speed of 125kmph and can adapt to the various demands of highly mobile troops. The vehicle can operate in difficult terrains including jungles and mountains, Global Times reported Tuesday.

The wheeled vehicle uses what the company calls "missile-vehicle integrated technology." It carries 12 pneumatic launch tubes that fire drones into the air, which then spread their wings and become operationally controllable.

These launch tubes are usually hidden within the vehicle and are only revealed upon use. This provides an element of surprise as enemies will have difficulty distinguishing drone launching vehicles from standard ones, an employee of the company said.

Among the 12 drones the vehicle can launch, four of them are the smaller SULA30 reconnaissance drones that can stay in the air for more than an hour. They can transmit real-time information to a command center, said a separate company statement sent to the Global Times.

Eight of the drones are two meter-wide SULA89 reconnaissance and attack drones that can carry more than two kilograms of explosives each. They can launch accurate suicide attacks once they locate their targets, diving at speeds of 180 kilometers an hour, according to the company's statement.

The SULA89 is designed to destroy mobile light armored vehicles, field fortifications and armed personnel in cover, the company said.

BeeGravy on June 3rd, 2019 at 18:30 UTC »

Having fought in an insurgency war, I can confidently say, the future of warfare, drones, drone swarms, suicide drones, tracked, wheeled, or walking drones, it's all fucking terrifying.

I know after they start being used, counterneasures will advance too, but I cannot imagine standing post in some shit hole warzone, sweating your ass off, waiting to get relieved by the next watch shift, when suddenly you hear the buzz hum as a swarm of suicide drones descend upon each if the guard posts, detonating 4lbs of explosives each all over the perimeter of the FOB, followed by some tracked drones with MMG and grenade launchers suppressing the area, and picking off medics, using thermal sights, before a wave of Chinese infantry dismount their APC and rush thru the gate.

I see future war being more about attacking and mobility than taking and holding ground, at least until we get good static automated defenses...

Shit gon' get crazy.

bedberner on June 3rd, 2019 at 16:21 UTC »

what is the difference between a suicide drone and an atgm?

Oak987 on June 3rd, 2019 at 16:18 UTC »

One day soon, an EMP generator will be standard issue battlefield kit. Then it's back to muskets and bayonets.