China Displays Five New Ucavs

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China recently celebrated the 80th year anniversary of their victory in the second world war. The Chinese fought the second world war entirely inside China against the Japanese occupying army which had invaded China since 1937. Like Russia, China lost around 20 million people during the eight years of war from 1937 till 1945. 
The Chinese resistance of the Japanese played a major role in tying down and also defeating large numbers of the Japanese Imperial forces.  
By 1945, the Japanese had been bogged down in China. The Chinese resistance—led by the Communist forces under Mao Zedong and the Nationalist government under Chiang Kai-shek  — had kept the Japanese from achieving total control over China. The Japanese controlled only a few major cities and vital areas, mostly in the coastal regions, while the rest of the country remained under the Chinese. 
The war in China severely strained Japanese resources. Maintaining an occupation army across such a vast territory was increasingly difficult. Japan's access to the resources of China had been limited by the resistance and guerrilla warfare, and this problem worsened as the war dragged on.

The rise of Chinese Communist guerrilla activity in the north, particularly along the border regions with Manchuria, had created a second front for the Japanese. Chinese forces were continuing to put up fierce resistance. By 1945, Chinese forces had become better organized and equipped. 

In 1945, Japan began to realize that it could not achieve a decisive victory in China. The focus was shifting to the defense of the home islands. The Japanese Army began to pull back to consolidate forces. They had to divert soldiers from China to defend the more vital areas such as Manchuria and Korea. Additionally, the Japanese military began to phase out operations in certain peripheral regions of China.
The situation of the Japanese Army had become increasingly precarious, and they were indeed in the process of withdrawing or redeploying certain units. The Japanese were facing significant challenges both militarily and logistically.

Fastforward 80 years the Chinese displayed massive amounts of not just weaponry but brand new military technology. 
There is a similarity between the Chinese and the Russian military doctrine in that their weapons are designed with restricted range. Both Russian and Chinese tanks are smaller than western tanks. This means they carry less fuel which means they have limited range.
The Russian T-90 has a range of around 300 km. The limited range is because their military doctrine is based on defense. They plan on operating INSIDE their own territories. Western tanks on the other hand, especially American tanks are gigantic with huge fuel tanks and extended range (about 500 km for the M1 Abram tank). They plan to invade other countries.
Anyway the Chinese surprised the world when they displayed SIX UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) at the military parade. FIVE of these UCAVs were never seen before. All six are operational and have tail numbers (meaning they are already flying in service). The biggest UCAV is supersonic and also stealthy. It can fly by itself (AI) or as a wingman in a flight.
Here is a quick video. 
 


 The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
By Syed Akbar Ali 

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