(From AFP)
China has exported military drones to more than 10 countries in deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and it plans to sell unmanned craft capable of launching laser-guided bombs, state-run media said Thursday.
Chinese drones “have bigger payloads, which means they can carry more weapons” than their competitors, Shi Wen, chief drone designer at the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, told the China Daily newspaper.
Chinese companies dominate the global market for commercial drones, but the rare interview is a sign Beijing is seeking to promote itself as a manufacturer of unmanned military surveillance and killing machines.
Shi did not specify the countries involved, the numbers sold or the total value of the deals, but said the academy’s most valuable sale was worth “hundreds of millions of US dollars”.
The drones are named Cai Hong, or Rainbow, with the bestselling CH-3 capable of firing missiles 10 kilometers (six miles) from a target and staying in the air for more than 10 hours, the report said. Read More