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China’s anti-drone arms tech draws Mideast interest as militaries seek latest edge

At region’s biggest military expo, Chinese defence suppliers promote counter-unmanned aerial vehicles to fill possible US arms sales void

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Chinese companies showcased their latest systems designed to defend against UAV, as global defence contractors turned out in force at the International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Photo: AFP
Seong Hyeon Choi
Chinese arms contractors were among the global defence suppliers who flocked to the Middle East to showcase their latest counter-unmanned aerial vehicles (CUAV) during the region’s largest military exhibition.

The turnout for the International Defence Exhibition (IDEX) this week in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, was another sign of the increasingly important roles drones are playing in warfare.

Chinese companies were promoting their latest systems designed to defend against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). China’s Poly Technologies showed off a laser defence system called “Silent Hunter”, an export variant of the domestically produced “Low Altitude Guardian” laser system, reportedly the first ever to use lasers in striking small and slow air targets flying at low altitude.

China Precision Machinery Import-Export Corporation displayed miniature models referred to as an “anti UAV system” – multiple CUAV systems, which included FK-2000 missile gun integrated weapon systems and FK-3000 air defence weapon systems.

Timothy Heath, a senior international defence researcher at United States-based think tank Rand Corporation, said that with drones becoming a “major factor on the modern battlefield”, many countries were looking to “enhance their defences against these novel weapons”.

“China’s new anti-drone systems are likely to find many interested buyers, especially if the US limits what it is willing to sell,” Heath said.

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