China accelerates maritime UAS development

17th July 2020 - 12:00 GMT | by Gordon Arthur in Christchurch

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A Chinese emphasis on UAVs for maritime and shipborne use is evident, with a new full-scale rotorcraft mock-up appearing on the navy’s first Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD) ship, and the announcement of a new maritime variant of the CH-5 platform.

The identity and nomenclature of the VTOL rotorcraft aboard the Type 075’s flight deck is unclear. This is the same LHD that suffered a fire in April, after being launched on 25 September 2019.

The UAV, about the size of an MQ-8B Fire Scout, was parked alongside a Z-8J helicopter mock-up. They were later joined by a Z-20

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Author

Gordon Arthur

Gordon Arthur was the Asia Pacific editor for Shephard Media. Born in Scotland and educated …

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