Russia is secretly developing military drones in China

According to published documents cited by Reuters, Russia has secretly launched a programme in China to create long-range kamikaze drones for use in the war against Ukraine.

Here's What We Know

The documents included a message from the Russian firm Kupol to the Ministry of Defence detailing the successful development and flight testing of a new drone model in China with the help of local specialists.

It also talks about creating capabilities in China to support the full-scale production of Russian drones, such as the Harpy-3 (G3), so that they can be quickly deployed on the battlefield.

To support these claims, Reuters obtained two invoices documenting the delivery of seven Chinese-made drones to Kupol's headquarters in Izhevsk, Russia.

It was not immediately clear which Chinese companies were involved in the programme and where they were producing the drones.

Fabian Hintz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London-based defence think tank, said the delivery of UAVs from China to Russia, if confirmed, would be a significant event.

"If you look at what China is known to have delivered so far, it's been mostly dual-use items - components, sub-components that could be used in weapons systems," he added.

It is worth noting that the G3 drone is the latest and most advanced version of the Garpiya family of drones.

Chinese experts reportedly helped improve the system to make it more lethal and effective on the battlefield. It boasts a maximum range of 2,000 kilometres and can carry a payload of up to 50 kilograms.

Source: Reuters