Drone warfare marks a first for SCO drill, as region faces up to terror attack risks in Afghan fallout
- Drone attack defences tested during annual Shanghai Cooperation Organisation drill for the first time, as US retreat from Afghanistan sparks security worries
- Even though China is among the leaders in unmanned aerial vehicle technology, how to create a ‘shield’ to counter the ‘spear’ remains a headache
The new content aimed to address the trend of terrorist attacks carried out by drones, a spokesman for the Chinese defence ministry said, commenting on the two week “Peace Mission 2021” drill by SCO member states which concluded on September 24 in Russia’s Orenburg Region.
“The introduction of new additional drone attack countermeasures has greatly improved participants’ real combat capabilities against terrorist attacks,” Senior Colonel Wu Qian told a monthly press conference on Thursday.
02:13
Chinese drones among new military aircraft highlighted at Zhuhai Airshow
The new tactics were introduced amid concerns within the SCO, a regional security grouping led by China and Russia, about new risks and challenges arising from the hasty withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, security experts said.
“All SCO members need to come up with effective and comprehensive countermeasures because all have been under the cloud of potential terrorist attacks after all the foreign troops left Afghanistan,” Sun Yu, a researcher in Eurasian security at the Andijan State University in Uzbekistan, said.
02:36
Chinese soldiers take part in joint anti-terrorism drills in Russia
Given that unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) warfare is well on the way to emerging as one of the most important international security developments of this century, the technology has become a means to create an atmosphere of fear to influence a target audience – whether it is a civilian population or government, said Li Wei, a Beijing-based counterterrorist expert.