Fully Chinese-made drone found in Ukraine for first time
The discovery, by Ukrainian intelligence, marks the first time that Russia has deployed weapons made only with Chinese components.
It shows the latest sign of cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, despite Xi Jinping insisting that China does not supply lethal aid to either side of the war in Ukraine.
While Chinese technology has been found in other Russian weapons, it had always been combined with components from other countries.
Ukrainian intelligence said it was able to recover two of the new unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and take them apart.
The UAV CBTS.611000 drone is primarily used for reconnaissance and as a decoy, but it can also carry a warhead weighing up to 15kg.
Nearly half the components of one of the drones were manufactured by CUAV Technology, a company based in Guangdong province that advertises itself as an 'open source drone solution supplier.'
These parts included a flight controller with autopilot, navigation modules and antennas, airspeed sensor and a pitot tube.
In 2022, the company announced that it would implement restrictions on the export of its products to Russia and Ukraine to prevent military use.
However, the recently discovered drones are not the first time that products from CUAV Technology have been found in Russia.
In 2023, Moscow used a vertical take-off UAV, which it alleged was its own design, that included a CUAV Technology product available on AliExpress, a popular online Chinese retailer.
In addition to CUAV Technology, Ukrainian intelligence also said the Chinese drones contained an engine and electronic ignition module from Mile Haoxiang Technology, a first person view camera from Foxeer Technology and a Chinese-made copy of the Australian RFD900X data transmission module from RFDesign, which can transmit data up to 40km (25 miles).
'This system enables the creation of a data transmission channel from the UAV to its ground station or between UAVs, thereby enhancing its reconnaissance capabilities,' said Ukraine's intelligence service.
The agency had previously estimated that 80 per cent of the electronics used in Russian drones originated in China, which was backed up by the US state department.
China has repeatedly denied that it is supplying any lethal weapons 'to any party in the conflict' and claimed that it 'strictly controls dual-use items'.
In a post on its Telegram, Ukraine's intelligence agency said the drones have a delta-wing fuselage, which is similar to the Shahed-136 drones, but is smaller in size.
Shahed drones, known in Russia as Geran-2, are a type of exploding kamikaze UAV, which Moscow has used extensively in its war against Ukraine.
Earlier this month, images of a damaged Geran-2 revealed that parts of the drone had also been manufactured by a machining company in Suzhou province in China.
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