Chinese UAV/UCAV development
- Thread starter AssassinsMace
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I just stumbled upon this news article from Japan-based news agency dating more than a week ago:
In short, Japan's SDF has announced that JGSDF would be retiring their entire fleets of AH-64 Apache, AH-1 Cobra and the Kawasaki OH-1 attack helicopters. Those attack helicopters would be replaced by unmanned assets, alongside weaponized utility/transport helicopters.
Such an unprecedented move by the JGSDF makes me wonder something - Could the PLAGF and PLAN explore such options for their attack helicopter fleets aswell?
However, instead of retiring attack helicopters completely like what the Japanese will be doing, perhaps those attack helicopters can be converted into AEW attack helicopters?
To put it into context:
1. One or few AEW attack helicopter(s) would circle around the active combat zone, while keeping certain distances away (a couple hundred meters to a couple kilometers away).
2. The duty of the AEW attack helicopters' crew are to direct and command the operations of "wingman" UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors, which would be allocated with several units per AEW platform.
3. These UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors would do the active fighting inside the combat zone. Only in situations where UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors cannot effectively engage the enemy(ies) or self-defense where the AEW helicopters are required to join the engagement directly.
I believe you guys have understood by this point - With the proliferation of MANPADS across the battlefield, helicopters are getting increasingly vulnerable and exposed as we have seen in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
By setting up a combat command network between AEW attack helicopters and UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors, this would ensure the safety of the flight & combat crew by staying away from active combat (and thus, ground-based threats) for as much as possible, while letting those dispensable UAVs to do the heavy lifting. Features like sensor fusion, integrated datalink, command chain networking between different AEW platforms and wingman UAVs would be crucial for this operational concept.
We have seen tonnes of UAV attack helicopters and tiltrotors in Zhuhai over the past few years. They are perfect for such deployments, as these helicopter/tiltrotor UAVs together with manned attack helicopters would operate in largely similar ways/methods as wingman UAV fighters with manned fighters (e.g. FH-97s and FH-97As with J-16s and J-20s).
In short, Japan's SDF has announced that JGSDF would be retiring their entire fleets of AH-64 Apache, AH-1 Cobra and the Kawasaki OH-1 attack helicopters. Those attack helicopters would be replaced by unmanned assets, alongside weaponized utility/transport helicopters.
Such an unprecedented move by the JGSDF makes me wonder something - Could the PLAGF and PLAN explore such options for their attack helicopter fleets aswell?
However, instead of retiring attack helicopters completely like what the Japanese will be doing, perhaps those attack helicopters can be converted into AEW attack helicopters?
To put it into context:
1. One or few AEW attack helicopter(s) would circle around the active combat zone, while keeping certain distances away (a couple hundred meters to a couple kilometers away).
2. The duty of the AEW attack helicopters' crew are to direct and command the operations of "wingman" UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors, which would be allocated with several units per AEW platform.
3. These UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors would do the active fighting inside the combat zone. Only in situations where UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors cannot effectively engage the enemy(ies) or self-defense where the AEW helicopters are required to join the engagement directly.
I believe you guys have understood by this point - With the proliferation of MANPADS across the battlefield, helicopters are getting increasingly vulnerable and exposed as we have seen in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
By setting up a combat command network between AEW attack helicopters and UAV attack helicopters/tiltrotors, this would ensure the safety of the flight & combat crew by staying away from active combat (and thus, ground-based threats) for as much as possible, while letting those dispensable UAVs to do the heavy lifting. Features like sensor fusion, integrated datalink, command chain networking between different AEW platforms and wingman UAVs would be crucial for this operational concept.
We have seen tonnes of UAV attack helicopters and tiltrotors in Zhuhai over the past few years. They are perfect for such deployments, as these helicopter/tiltrotor UAVs together with manned attack helicopters would operate in largely similar ways/methods as wingman UAV fighters with manned fighters (e.g. FH-97s and FH-97As with J-16s and J-20s).
Manned attack helo can work well in unison with unmanned assets. One example would be uav guiding missiles launched by attack helps. We’ve seen this many times in CCTV military documentaries.
It's "Cloud Shadow"Can anyone identify this UAV?
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