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Drones

Drones
The latest news, analysis and opinion on drones, especially Chinese drone makers and drone usage.
People inspect a market damaged in cross-border shelling before the India-Pakistan ceasefire came into effect, in Jura village, Neelum Valley, in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, on May 12. Photo: EPA-EFE
India

Opinion | Rapid escalation of India-Pakistan clashes a warning of new tech dangers

Drones, long-range missiles and related technologies spare soldiers from live combat but also allow conflicts to be escalated in almost no time.

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China's military weapons

7,000km range, 6 tonnes ammunition: the Chinese UAV dubbed ‘high sky’

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China’s Communist Party

China uses carrots and sticks to boost military ranks and discourage dodgers

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Science

Chinese student Xu Yang breaks ‘impossible’ microdrone world speed record

With help from other drone speedsters, Xu comes up with his own 3D-printed propellers for his superfast small quadcopter.

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Xu Yang’s Prowess microdrone weighed less than 250 grams and reached a speed of 340.78km/h on March 23 in Huizhou, Guangdong province. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmakers race to develop flying cars after rivalry in EV market

The government forecasts the low-altitude mobility economy will increase more than fivefold to US$486 billion by 2035 from last year.

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Germany

3 Germans go on trial over hi-tech spying for China

Prosecutors say they collected information on boat engines, sonar, propulsion systems for armoured vehicles and military-grade drones.

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Ukraine war

Putin’s 3-day ceasefire begins as Ukraine reports violations

Temporary truce coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the World War II defeat of Nazi Germany.

A Russian serviceman patrols with an anti-drone gun on Wednesday ahead of the general rehearsal for the Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Drones can take the Hong Kong hiking experience to new heights

Drones – for delivery, as guides and even passenger shuttles – can make hiking safer and more engaging and environmentally friendly.

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Ukraine war

Putin says West tried to provoke him into using nuclear weapons

The Russian president and his leadership have repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine and its allies.

China's military weapons

Sixth-gen fighter could block airspace 1,000km from China’s shore, article says

In a Taiwan conflict, J-36 could counter advantages of American B-21 stealth bomber, says magazine affiliated with state shipbuilder.

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The fighter still being developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation is unofficially referred to as the J-36. Photo: Weibo/河东三叔
Ukraine war

A world first? Ukraine says it destroys enemy fighter jet with sea drone

A Russian military blogger said the plane was shot down and said the pilots ejected and were picked up – ‘both are alive, and to hell with the plane’.

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A Russian Su-27 aircraft dumps fuel over the Black Sea in 2023. Ukraine said on Saturday that it has shot down such an aircraft using a maritime drone. Photo: Handout via Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Activists say Israeli drones hit aid boat heading for Gaza

Vessel came under ‘direct attack in international waters’ off Malta overnight, group says.

China's military weapons

China’s military expands use of low-cost AI-powered drones in ‘phased leap’

Multiple state media reports have highlighted the PLA’s modern warfare technology, from micro drones to those guided by fibre-optic cables.

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Ukraine war

Russia launches drone attack on Ukraine; Trump officials push peace deal

Attacks came hours after Russia claimed to have regained control over remaining parts of the Kursk region that Ukraine had seized in August.

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A Russian Army 152mm howitzer Giatsint-B fires towards Ukrainian positions in Kherson, Ukraine on Sunday. Photo: Russian Defence Ministry Press Service via AP
Yemen

Yemen prepares ‘biggest offensive ever’ against Houthi rebels with US support

Yemen is reportedly launching an offensive against Houthi rebels to reclaim key ports and diminish the influence of the Iranian-aligned group.

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Yemeni soldiers brandish their weapons as they take part in an offensive in the southern province of Shabwa in 2014. Photo: AFP
Ukraine war

Ukraine says Chinese citizens working at drone production site in Russia

Ukraine’s leader suggested that Moscow may have stolen drone technology from China, appearing to soften his tone towards Beijing.

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Britain

Security concerns mount over Chinese drones used at critical sites in UK

National Grid and Thames Water among companies deploying DJI drones to inspect their facilities despite warnings.

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The Philippines

5 drones with ‘Chinese markings’ found in Philippine waters: navy official

The drones were used to collect data for various applications, including for ‘underwater warfare’, a Philippine navy spokesman said.

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Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad, a Philippine Navy spokesman, said investigations were under way on five submersible drones recovered in the country’s waters from 2022 to 2024. Photo: EPA-EFE
Ukraine war

Trump blames Biden and Zelensky for failing to prevent war in Ukraine

‘President Zelensky and Crooked Joe Biden did an absolutely horrible job in allowing this travesty to begin,’ Trump wrote on social media.

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Middle East

Houthis say US air strikes kill 6, claim Reaper drone shot down over Yemen

The rebels said a ceramics factory in Sanaa was hit overnight, as they reported their fourth downing of a US drone in two weeks.

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China's military weapons

Chinese weapons giant develops anti-drone barrage system to beat wartime swarms

Bullet Curtain can also intercept cruise missiles, rockets, mortar shells and aircraft, lending versatility in combat: Norinco designer.

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Chinese weapons firm Norinco says there is an urgent need to make an anti-drone weapon that can achieve “massive destruction of drone swarms in the shortest possible time”. Photo: Getty Images
Ukraine war

Russian missiles hit Kyiv as Zelensky tells US to ‘call a spade a spade’

The Ukrainian president slammed Washington’s ‘weak reaction’ to a strike on his hometown that killed nine children.

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Smoke rises in the sky over Kyiv after a Russian missile strike on Sunday. Photo: Reuters
Ukraine war

4 dead, dozens injured in Russia drone strikes on Ukraine’s Kharkiv

Russia and Ukraine have stepped up aerial attacks even as the US pushes Moscow and Kyiv to agree to a ceasefire.

Africa

Algeria shoots down drone near border with Mali as tensions simmer

Algeria and Mali give differing accounts of an unmanned aircraft that went down in their desert border region.

China airliners

Flying taxis: China clears way for first companies to begin offering services

Chinese regulators have for the first time granted companies approval to operate autonomous passenger drones.

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The EHang 184, an autonomous aerial vehicle designed to carry one passenger, performs a test flight in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. EHang has become one of the first companies in China to receive approval to put its passenger drones into operation. Photo: Reuters
China's military weapons

AI autonomy and endurance of China’s Rainbow-9 drone to change warfare: analyst

State media reveals attack drone requires a ground crew of five to manage flight oversight and handle payload systems.

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State broadcaster CCTV has aired footage of the Caihong-9 (Rainbow-9), China’s latest medium-to-high altitude, long-endurance drone. Photo: CCTV
Taiwan

Taiwan unveils home-built unmanned attack boat inspired by Ukraine drone warfare

Shipbuilder CSBC Corp reveals first indigenous USV but analysts remain concerned about cost and effectiveness against mainland’s PLA.

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Ukraine war

Losing grip on Kursk, Ukraine troops make new incursion into Russia’s Belgorod

Russian war bloggers say there have been heavy clashes with Kyiv’s forces in the region, and each side is hitting the other with drones.

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