China bets on exports of cheap 3D-printed drone killers

{"text":[[{"start":10.08,"text":"Chinese drone makers are betting cheap, 3D-printed interceptors will be the country’s next big export as concerns grow about the lethal impact of kamikaze drones used in conflicts in Iran and Ukraine."}],[{"start":21.2,"text":"Scores of companies at China’s largest drone fair in the tech hub of Shenzhen this year exhibited new interceptor rockets, an area they had entered only months before."}],[{"start":30.88,"text":"The rockets physically strike incoming aircraft, rather than rely on traditional anti-drone technologies such as signal jamming or radio interference. Advances in AI have made the interceptors, which reach speeds well above 300km an hour, more accurate in the past year, said Chinese producers."}],[{"start":49.16,"text":"This year, Ukraine’s military deployed locally made rockets to defend against Russian kamikaze drones, which often do not use constant GPS and cannot be easily downed by other methods."}],[{"start":59.52,"text":"Chinese companies have rushed into the sector because many of the core components used in the interceptors are similar to those in traditional drones. Foreign demand has increased after Russia and Iran demonstrated the lethal potential of simple, “single-use” drones."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":74.32,"text":"The pile-in highlights how global conflicts are forcing rapid innovation in the drone sector, and how quickly Chinese manufacturers are adapting to the latest defence technologies."}],[{"start":84.32,"text":"Wen Ting, founder of Shenzhen Weichuan Model Equipment, said the company had only started developing interceptors in October and was already able to sell “several thousand” a month, including to Russia and Middle Eastern countries such as the United Arab Emirates."}],[{"start":97.76,"text":"“It’s very accurate,” said Wen of how the technology identified and attacked drones autonomously."}],[{"start":104.68,"text":"China dominates the production of commercial drones. Among major brands, Shenzhen-based DJI alone accounts for 70 to 80 per cent of the global market for non-military, non-governmental use, according to Drone Industry Insights. The country is also the world’s largest supplier of many critical components."}],[{"start":123.16,"text":"Andrew White, a patent lawyer at London-based Mathys & Squire, said Chinese institutions were the most prolific filers of anti-drone technology patents last year, with more than double the applications of second-place US. “China is just massively dominating this field,” he said."}],[{"start":139.24,"text":"Most of the interceptors offered at the Shenzhen fair were small, 3D-printed rockets with four wings equipped with electric motors. Cameras and guidance modules were fitted in the nose."}],[{"start":157.36,"text":"Sellers quoted Rmb10,000 to Rmb20,000 ($1,500 to $2,900) a rocket, though interceptors without automatic guidance modules went for much less."}],[{"start":161.04,"text":"“Making the individual product shouldn’t be difficult,” said Oscar Xu, a representative of Fujian Lingxin Information Technology, which produces signal jammers and other interference products. “The difficulty is integrating it with other systems such as radar.”"}],[{"start":175.52,"text":"Producers disagreed about how useful self-guidance systems were, with companies giving estimates ranging from 50 to 100 per cent accuracy for their rockets. Others said their automatic guidance systems were still under development."}],[{"start":188.36,"text":"The Chinese companies are entering a competitive segment. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed in March that the country’s interceptors had been used by several Gulf nations to down Iranian drones. He has touted Ukraine’s products to US and European partners."}],[{"start":204.2,"text":"Western producers said their long range and ability to bring down aircraft that other technologies cannot made interceptors a useful part of any anti-drone arsenal. But their cost — most rockets are single-use only — and their inability to handle drone swarms were limiting factors."}],[{"start":219.84,"text":"Bryan Bockmon, chief executive of Australian anti-drone company Aimlock, said “the most promising aspect” of anti-drone technology was the rapid reduction of cost, “which has become transformational”."}],[{"start":235.4,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1787898146_1409.mp3"}