China Reportedly Negotiating with Russia To Supply Kamikaze Drones

[catsudon]

Source: Spiegel International

The U.S. and Germany have warned China not to deliver weapons to Russia. According to information obtained by DER SPIEGEL, however, Beijing and Moscow are said to be negotiating the purchase of 100 strike drones, which could be delivered as soon as April.

According to that information, the Russian military is engaged in negotiations with Chinese drone manufacturer Xi'an Bingo Intelligent Aviation Technology over the mass production of kamikaze drones for Russia. The revelations create a new urgency in the debate over possible Chinese military support for Russia.

Bingo has reportedly agreed to manufacture and test 100 ZT-180 prototype drones before delivering them to the Russian Defense Ministry by April 2023. Military experts believe the ZT-180 is capable of carrying a 35- to 50 kilogram warhead.

Read more: https://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-war-in-ukraine-china-is-reportedly-negotiating-with-russia-to-supply-kamikaze-drones-a-13909157-4740-4f84-830e-fb3c69bc1dff

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the drone technology is actually quite impressive in China , however, it being used as a weapon capable of destruction scares me.

[wcmagumba]

1. Fools, hankering for Taiwan invasion and WWIII/IV

[Irish_Dem]

4. Yes. China wants to change the world order.

Looks like it is going to fight for the #1 spot.

[Freethinker65]

2. You mean all powerful Putin and Russia need help to combat Ukraine?

Ukraine that Putin thought wouldn't give up much of a fight.

Russia has no sophisticated weapons, only cannon fodder and nukes?

[C_U_L8R]

3. Time to shut down that economy they've come to love so much

Kamikaze drones? There is no excuse. Welcome to the pariah club.

[OAITW r.2.0]

5. China's betting on the wrong player.

Last edited Thu Feb 23, 2023, 08:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Russia won't be helping their economy to any significant degree. But their exports to Europe, japan, South Korea and the US will be significantly impacted. Perhaps they want to use the their drone tech in Ukraine as a lab to test their effectiveness in a future war with Taiwan. If so, I am sure we have the tech to counter. Another bad bet on the part of China.

[tman]

9. China is betting the west won't do much to retaliate economically.

They may be right.

[OAITW r.2.0]

10. The move to outsource from China is already happening.

I've been working in China for over 30 years. What China has done in the past 5 years with regards to Shanghai and Hong Kong is definitely changing the minds of those responsible for sourcing strategies.

[mountain grammy]

12. I would hope so.. It's encouraging to see this.

[OAITW r.2.0]

13. Here's the problem.

Where are you going to find the folks to work in factories that pay significantly less than the average worker makes today? And. if you factor that 3,5% of the total unemployment are people between jobs....what's left? Here's the solution.....immigrants. But how will the Republicans deal with this?

[OAITW r.2.0]

14. Here's the problem.

Where are you going to find the folks to work in factories that pay significantly less than the average worker makes today? And. if you factor that 3,5% of the total unemployment are people between jobs....what's left? Here's the solution.....immigrants. But how will the Republicans deal with this?

[Joinfortmill]

24. Yup.

[ColinC]

6. It would be suicide for China and their economy to do it

They would be risking too much.

[PortTack]

19. Agree! The EU, China's biggest customer imports $360+ B, US about the same. russia 64 B

They are already in serious financial trouble. They really can’t afford the kind of sanctions the US and the EU would impose

[Evolve Dammit]

7. The sides are chosen. Lines to be drawn soon. Scary shit.

[Joinfortmill]

25. Yup. Sounds like Xi is beginning to believe his own hype.

[yaesu]

8. Any country supporting terrorist states should be heavily sanctioned and

treated like the enemy they are. pull all investments and manufacturing from said countries, stop imports from said countries and the sharing of technology.

[Grokenstein]

11. Be a damn shame if someone was able to jack 'em and send them back to Beijing

[sarcasmo]

15. China lost their "neutral" card.

[Talitha]

16. "negotiating the purchase" - so Russia has to buy the drones from China?

[DFW]

17. This would be a dangerous escalation

Russia would use them not only on military targets, but also on the civilian population and/or their infrastructure, such as drinking water and electric power. In this case, the Ukrainians would seek to (justifiably) strike targets within Russia until the ability to launch these things into Ukrainian territory was neutralized. Russian propaganda would go to town if this happened (Putin is probably counting on it), using the victim card--big bad westerners are helping those nasty Ukrainians to attack the Rodina. Never mind what the drones were going to be used for, they attacked our homeland, we must strike back. The Russians won't find any military allies in the Chinese, of course, Xi is not an idiot. He'll take the Russians' money, not their invitation to take the place of the Wagner Group.

Chinese troops will not be involved. They haven't been sent into combat against western troops since the Korean War. The next time, if there is one, will be over Taiwan, but I doubt that, too. China prefers to play the long game. They are certainly content to patiently infiltrate enough sympathetic politicians into Taiwan so as to influence a positive vote on a re-unification referendum, even if it's 60 years down the road.

[Joinfortmill]

26. Yup.

[AZLD4Candidate]

18. Winnie the Flu has run China into the ground with his idiocy and insecurity.

He is overplaying his hand big time.

Gotta get a war going to divert people's attention for how bad things are getting here.

[ck4829]

20. Kick

[dalton99a]

21. Another contribution to world peace from China

[machoneman]

22. Not good news for sure.

[Joinfortmill]

23. I don't think China really wants to mess with the U.S.A.