Russia has created a secret project in China to produce military drones

Russia has developed and launched the production of long-range strike drones in China to be used in the war against Ukraine.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Reuters.

According to the publication, the Russian company IEMZ Kupol, a subsidiary of the state corporation Almaz-Antey, has developed a drone called Harpy-3 and conducted flight tests with the participation of Chinese specialists.

Subsequently, Kupol informed the Russian Defense Ministry that it had set up mass production of drones at a factory in China for use in the war against Ukraine.

The Chinese authorities said they had no knowledge of such projects, emphasizing strict control over the export of military products, including unmanned aerial vehicles.

Analysts note that if the fact of the delivery of Chinese drones is confirmed, it will be an important event. According to Fabian Hintz, an expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, China has so far supplied Russia with dual-use goods, but not entire weapons systems.

The Harpy-3 drone can travel about 2000 km with a payload of 50 kg, according to Kupol reports. Samples of the Harpy and some other Chinese-made drone models have been delivered to Russia's Kupol for further testing.

According to documents reviewed by Reuters, Kupol has received seven Chinese-made military drones, including two Harpy-3s, at its headquarters in the Russian city of Izhevsk.

According to two European intelligence sources, the delivery of the drone samples to Kupol was the first concrete evidence that their agency had identified Chinese-made UAV targets being shipped to Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

Author - Dmitriy Levchenko, 26/09/2024