China is developing attack drones for Russia - Bloomberg
Date: 2024-07-03 Author: Кирило Загоруйко Categories: WORLD
Chinese and Russian companies are developing an attack drone similar to the Iranian Shahed.
Bloomberg reports this with reference to European officials familiar with the situation. They admitted that this was a sign that China was moving closer to providing the kind of lethal assistance to Russia that Western officials had previously warned about.
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that last year the companies agreed to cooperate on the production of Iranian shaheds, and this year they began development and testing in preparation for shipment to the Russian Federation. According to them, Chinese drones have not yet been used in Ukraine.
Some countries believe that providing Russia with drones for offensive purposes would cross the line into lethal assistance, officials said.
The publication noted that the Russian Federation relies on China for the supply of critical parts and components. Officials emphasized that it is worrying that China can produce drones like the Shahed much faster than Iran or the Russian Federation.
Officials have not provided details of the drone in development, but Chinese defense websites and several media outlets have reported that the country is developing a kamikaze attack drone called the Sunflower 200, which is described as similar in appearance to the Iranian Shahed 136 drone.
