--- title: "Brutal Chinese Weapon Launches Swarm of Explosive Suicide Drones" description: "China has released a video of a test involving an array of 48 weaponized drones launching from the back of a truck and from a helicopter." date: "2020-10-16" modified: "2020-10-16" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/chinese-weapon-launches-swarm-explosive-suicide-drones" categories: - "Drones" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "china" - "drone launcher" - "drones" - "swarm robotics" - "the digest" --- # Brutal Chinese Weapon Launches Swarm of Explosive Suicide Drones ![China has released a video of a test involving an array of 48 weaponized drones launching from the back of a truck and from a helicopter.]() *\Image: CAEIT\* ## Drone Swarms The China Academy of Electronics and Information Technology (CAEIT) has released a video of a test involving an array of 48 weaponized drones launching from the back of a truck, [*The South China Morning Post* reports](). The drones can be seen launching from tubes, with a set of pop-out wings deploying from each right after. Troops on the ground then identify the drones' targets on a tablet device. Each one is packed with explosives, [according to *The Times*.]() https://youtu.be/JUg5GZqttkA ## Suicide Swarm Few details about the test have emerged so far, but the drones shown in the footage are reminiscent of a previously shown "suicide drone" built by China Poly Defense, as [*The Drive* points out](), called the CH-901. Each unit is just short of four feet long and weighs about 20 pounds. It can spend two hours airborne and approach targets at up to 93 mph. The design is also reminiscent of similar designs built by US manufacturers [AeroVironment]() and [Raytheon](). Even the Navy's Office of Naval Research has developed a similar drone called Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology [(LOCUST)](). ## Blinding the Enemy A different demonstration by the CAEIT shows the drones being launched from a helicopter. "They’re still in the early development stage and the technical problems are yet to be resolved," an insider from the People’s Liberation Army told *SCMP*. "One of the key concerns is the communications system and how to stop it from getting jammed." Experts are worried that drone swarms could be used to confuse and overwhelm air defense systems by quickly being able to approach them from multiple angles. **READ MORE:** [China tests swarm of ‘suicide drones’ launched from a truck and helicopters]() \[*South China Morning Post*\] **More on drone swarms:** *[The Pentagon Wants to Control Drones With Soldiers’ Brain Waves]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()