Russia covertly designs long-range drones in China for the Ukraine war
Russia is reportedly carrying out a confidential program in China to design and produce long-range strike drones for use in the war with Ukraine, Reuters reported on Wednesday. According to agency sources, the drones have already been tested.
Reuters, citing information about the tests, refers to two sources from a European intelligence agency. According to these sources, IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of the state-owned Russian defense contractor Almaz-Antey, designed and conducted a test flight of a new Garpija-3 (G3) drone model in China with the help of local specialists. These reports were contained in a document sent by Kupol this year to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In another report, Kupol stated its capability for large-scale production of drones, including the G3, which can be used in a "special military operation," referring to the war with Ukraine.
Kupol, Almaz-Antey, and the Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to Reuters' request for comment. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it was unaware of any such project and added that China has strict procedures for controlling drone exports.
Fabian Hinz from the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies commented in an interview with the agency, "If you look at what China is known to have delivered so far, it was mostly dual-use goods - it was components, sub-components, that could be used in weapon systems."
Drone range up to 1,243 miles
According to Kupol's reports submitted to the Ministry of Defense, G3 drones can travel approximately 1,243 miles with a load weighing 110 lbs. Chinese experts designed these machines based on the Garpija-3 drone. Samples of the G3 and other drone models were delivered to the Kupol enterprise in Russia for further testing with the participation of Chinese specialists.
Kupol stated that within eight months, the plant in China could produce REM 1 strike drones with a load capacity of 882 lbs. According to two Reuters sources, these systems will resemble the American Reaper drone.
Another document obtained by the agency indicates that companies involved in the project intend to create a joint Russian-Chinese drone research center in the special economic zone of Kashgar in Xinjiang province. The 198-acre base could produce 800 drones per year.
Last week, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin said that the Russian military had received about 140,000 drones in 2023, and the authorities plan to increase this number tenfold this year.
