China demonstrates new UAV capabilities

CASC's FH-901 UAV has been described by Global Times as the “Chinese equivalent” of US' Switchblade UAV (pictured above). (AeroVironment Inc)

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), China's state-owned defence enterprise, highlighted the launch of two new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) – the FH-901 loitering munition and the CH-10 tiltrotor UAV – in a video shown during a forum on unmanned equipment in Beijing.

The video displayed a tank being attacked from the top by an FH-901 leading to its complete destruction, state-owned newspaper Global Times reported on 8 September.

Besides being cast from the ground surface, the FH-901 can also be launched in air by an aircraft, including a larger UAV, Global Times added.

The FH-901 has been termed by Global Times as the “Chinese equivalent” of the United States' Switchblade UAV developed by Virginia-based AeroVironment Inc.

According to Janes All the World's Aircraft: Unmanned , the Switchblade family, consisting of Switchblade 300 and Switchblade 600, were developed for use as a precision-attack tool against beyond line-of-sight targets. These are manportable, tube-launched, and non-recoverable attack UAVs.

The UAVs can be deployed from air, sea, or ground platforms and provide multidomain operational capability. The Switchblade is characterised as being interoperable with AeroVironment's other mini and micro UAVs such as the Puma AE, Wasp AE, and common ground control station (GCS).

The Switchblade has been extensively deployed by Ukrainian forces in their ongoing conflict with Russia.

At the time of publication of this article, Janes was unable to get in touch with CASC for further information about FH-901's features and capabilities.

According to Janes