China showcases new unmanned vehicles at the 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition.

A rare look at China's newest unmanned maritime vehicles was provided at this year's International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which is the country's biggest aviation event and aerospace trade expo held at Zhuhai city.

China has the widest variety of fielded unmanned systems-airborne, seaborne and ground-and. Many of them were first shown off even before the most recent Zhuhai Air Show.

Additionally, South China Morning Post stated that the number of vehicles showcased this year exceeded those at previous editions of the air show, which occurs every two years.

China's International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition Highlights

The Wing Loong 3 UAV, which made its debut at the 14th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, is the first of the Wing Loong line capable of reaching the intercontinental range. The vehicle has become a top attraction, marking a milestone in Chinese homegrown drone manufacturing capability, according to Eurasian Times.

Aside from its massive exterior, the UAV also has military features such as detecting mines and carrying acoustic decoys that make use of sonar signals to deflect torpedoes. Several maritime systems were also showcased that possess reconnaissance and surveillance duties, as well as precision strikes.

These include the Haishen 6000, also known as the Poseidon 6000, which is a 7.6 meter-long unmanned underwater vehicle with a displacement of 3 tonnes and a 6,000-meter maximum depth, according to the Maritime Exclusive. Additionally, the EA63 made its debut in this year's show, a remotely operated vehicle stationed on surface ships for mine-sweeping action and detecting mines at the seabed.

Asia managing editor of FlightGlobal Greg Waldron emphasized the importance of the show as a way to showcase China's potential in UAVs in a report from Reuters.

"Zhuhai is of intense interest to China aviation spotters, and missing the show is a significant lost opportunity for those seeking to understand China's opaque commercial and defense aerospace sectors," said Managing editor Waldron.

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Behind China's Diverse Range of Unmanned Systems

The China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition dates back to as early as 1996 and has been held at Zhuhai city ever since. China continues to lead the military trend by pairing unmanned aerial vehicles with an enhanced satellite network, which greatly improves their capability for long-range strike system targeting.

According to SCMP, China has been busy keeping its tech up-to-date to keep up with other countries in terms of maritime confrontation.

"It's foreseeable that unmanned platforms will gradually become the main force in maritime confrontation. And they will become the key to seize information superiority, implement precise strikes, and complete special combat missions in information warfare," SCMP stated in a report.

In addition to the air vehicles, China has also been developing unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to deploy robotic fighting forces, according to Military Aerospace.

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Written by: Andi C.