Quieter, stealthier, further: new hybrid unit to power China’s small battle drones

A Chinese hybrid propulsion system has been tested on a small drone.

Photo: CCTV A hybrid propulsion system designed to make small battlefield drones stealthier and go further has passed its flight tests, according to Chinese state media.

The system’s motor is driven by fuel-powered electricity, combining two systems to make the best of both, according to a report on Friday on CCTV-7, China’s military television channel.

Drone propulsion has largely followed two distinct paths.

Fuel-powered systems are typically used in bigger uncrewed aircraft, offering strong performance and long endurance but generating a lot of noise.

Smaller drones are usually powered by electric batteries, making them quieter and less visible on the infrared spectrum but reducing their time in the air.

The 60-kilowatt system, tested in December, seeks to integrate the advantages.

By combining fuel and electric power, the system can generate electricity from fuel during flight and switch to quiet electric mode when needed, enabling small drones to fly longer distances while maintaining low noise and reducing thermal signatures.

The development was reported in Stealth Vanguard, an episode in a CCTV documentary series called UAV Competition. “[The tests mean the] the hybrid ‘heart’ of small drones is steadily moving towards maturity,” it said.

The progress is part of a broader effort to boost China’s unmanned aerial vehicle capabilities across all domains as militaries around the world increasingly deploy drones in conflicts.

Drones have reshaped modern warfare and play a bigger role on the battlefield, ranging from reconnaissance to artillery spotting and precision strikes.

Cheaply made and easily deployed, their strength and growing strategic importance have been demonstrated in combat operations from Ukraine to the Middle East.

In the conflict with the United States and Israel, which is entering its fifth week, Iran has launched large numbers of low-cost drones at targets across the Persian Gulf to try to overwhelm defences and spark chaos in the region.

The US has also unleashed low-cost one-way attack drones for the first time in combat as well as AI-enabled interceptor drones.

In the new Chinese system, developed by state-backed Sichuan Tianfu Light Power Technology, a gas turbine powers a generator rather than directly driving the aircraft, producing electricity to charge on-board batteries, while thrust is delivered by an electric ducted fan, according to CCTV.

Th

原文链接: 南华早报