Why is China winning the drone battle against the US?

China is winning against the USA on many fronts. From everyday gadgets to war machines, the country is now the leader in almost every chart.  China has emerged as a leading exporter of combat drones. In the last decade, China has delivered 282 combat drones to 17 countries, according to data from Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

On the other hand, in the same period, the USA delivered 12 combat drones to France and the United Kingdom only.

Let’s look into the success of China in the war drone industry.

Xi Jinping’s pledge

However, many factors have contributed to China’s dominance in the war drone market. Military experts believe that one of the key factors that helped China to rise is state-funded efforts. The country invested heavily to improve its technology and maintain “world-class standards”.

Xi Jinping, the President of China, reflects the country’s policy when he said war drones are capable of “profoundly changing war scenarios,” and he also promised to his people that he will “speed up the development of unmanned, intelligent combat capabilities.”

Copycat China with price advantage

China is a country known for its amazing copycat capabilities. In the last few decades, the West has invented many technologies, and China has copied and made it even better. The same thing happened in the drone industry.

China has copied the design and capabilities of the US drones. It is almost similar but comes at a much lower price. For example, China’s best-selling drone Caihong 4 is almost similar to its competitor the US-built MQ-9 Reaper and the most popular Chinese drone Wing Loong 2 is identical to the US-made MQ-1 Predator.

However, their main goal is not only to copy the West but to improve the technology and make it the best in the market. Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military expert, said that though Wing Loong 2 looks like a US-built drone, it is much faster and capable of carrying larger weapons than its US counterpart.

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Better, faster, and even cheaper

Chinese drones are not only better and faster than their competitors but also come at a low price.

And cheaper has another meaning here. It means that the allied nations of China, who wish to purchase a combat drone but don’t have money, can purchase drones now. And this advantage makes Chinese drones attractive all over the world.

US-based think tank CSIS gives an interesting comparison of prices. The Chinese drone Wing Loong 2 costs around $2m, while a US-made drone MQ-9 Reaper costs $16m.

Sanction effect

It is well-known that the US frequently uses sanctions. However, sometimes these sanctions backfire, as has been the case in the drone industry.

China has marketed their drones to countries that are unable to buy drones due to US sanctions, which has helped them increase exports and generate significant revenue.

Last year, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, Barbara Leaf, told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China is selling drones to Iran-backed militias in the Arab world. In fact, Israel has also been making similar claims for the last few years.

Despite all these allegations, the rise of China in the drone market has not been hindered.