#精品长文创作季#
If you want to say that the most motivated country in the world, then China deserves it. When China was founded in 1949, it was experiencing the trauma of war and faced many obstacles to its development. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of all parties, our country has achieved rapid development. Today, China has become the world's second largest economy, and the military field has also ushered in a great breakthrough.
When it comes to the military, then we have to mention drones. The efficiency, flexibility and accuracy of UAVs have made them the "elves" in the battlefield, which has greatly improved the efficiency of detection and inspection. In addition to the military, drones also play a great role in agriculture, geology, disaster relief, aerial photography, etc.
You must know that the first country to develop drones was the United Kingdom, but now China has become the first echelon of drone technology. Nowadays, the drones produced in China have been exported to the world and have become a "business card" that China is very proud of. So what has China's UAV experienced from scratch, from backward to leading?
1. China's drone technology has been forced to develop
China's drone technology is not too early to develop, but it is now a leader. Such rapid progress has been made possible in large part because of the pressures of the international community and military competition. In particular, the competition between the United States and the mainland has made the mainland realize the importance of the development of drone technology.
U.S. drone technology began to develop as early as the early 20th century, and with the Vietnam War, the U.S. realized that drones have a very critical role in reconnaissance, monitoring, and even counter-terrorism. Since then, the United States has continued to increase investment in drone technology, and American drones have shown excellent advantages in many wars.
The development of drone technology in the United States has created deep concerns in other countries. At that time, the UAV produced by the United States had a special layer of material on its surface, and it was difficult to detect his whereabouts with radar even if it flew into the airspace of other countries. And the United States has indeed sent drones into other countries to detect other countries.
This has left many countries worried about their own safety, especially the delicate relationship between China and the United States, and the need to protect their airspace through drones. In 1958, the mainland produced the first unmanned aerial vehicle called the "Willow Leaf Aircraft", which was mainly used for military reconnaissance and target monitoring.
At first, the continent could only buy drones from other countries and imitate them by dismantling them. With the development of UAV technology in mainland China, we are now fully able to achieve independent research and development. Now we already have a series of UAVs such as "Rainbow", "Pterodactyl" and "Sky Eagle" to protect the security of the mainland's airspace.
The rapid development of China's UAV technology not only meets the national defense and military needs of the mainland, but also occupies a place in the international market. Our self-developed drones have been exported to the world, and the drones produced in the United States have formed a rival situation.
Second, Chinese drones are now sold all over the world
From the official information, it can be seen that the export range of Chinese UAVs is now very wide, covering many countries. The "Pterodactyl-1" independently developed by the mainland has been exported to Egypt, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and other countries. The "Rainbow-5" UAV has been exported to ten countries including Algeria, Nigeria, and Jordan.
According to the data released in 2021, it can be seen that the current sales of Chinese drones have accounted for 70% of the global market share, including military drones and civilian drones. Among them, the market share of military drones accounts for 17% of the world, making China the third in the world.
The reason why China's UAVs have been able to achieve such an achievement is actually mainly due to the fact that UAVs produced in our country have an absolute advantage in terms of cost. China's manufacturing industry has been developing for many years and has a very complete electronics industry chain. This also allows mainland drone companies to purchase equipment and devices with excellent performance at a lower price.
This makes the cost of manufacturing drones on the mainland low, and the price of export is also very cost-effective. With such a cost-effective UAV, it has naturally become a "sweet spot" in the eyes of other countries. The development of lithium batteries in China has also provided a foundation for the development of drone technology, allowing it to be at the forefront of the international community.
In addition, the mainland also has an absolute advantage in technological innovation. Our country's UAVs have made significant progress in autonomous navigation technology, and their mature technology of autonomous control allows UAVs to perform complex tasks. Precise positioning and optical technology can also locate targets with high precision and transmit clear images and infrared images to the user.
Excellent technology and low price have made mainland's drones popular in the international market. But as sales increase, so does the likelihood of technology being compromised. However, we are not worried about this, because we have the "magic weapon" in our own hands.
3. Why the mainland is not worried about technology leakage
The reason why Continental's drones are able to be sold all over the world and not worry about technology leakage is mainly based on several aspects.
The first is that there are strict measures in terms of technological protection. Drone manufacturers will have certain protection measures for their own technology, and these technologies often have patent protection and technical encryption measures. When exporting, the mainland will also strictly control some technologies, which escort the core technology of drones and provide legal protection.
In addition, there is a high barrier to entry for drone technology. The design and manufacture of UAVs involve many high-tech fields such as aerospace, electronics, and materials science, which also requires the introduction of relevant talents and the improvement of technology. This makes the development of drone technology very fast, and it is not easy to leak these complex technologies.
Secondly, the drones exported by the mainland will also be different from those used by the mainland. It is an open secret in the international community that the key technologies exported by each country will differ from those used by itself. The drones we use ourselves are not exactly the same as the drones we export, so we don't have to worry too much about the leakage of our core technology.
Finally, in the process of cooperation with other countries, corresponding cooperation agreements will be signed. China UAV Export will conclude a detailed agreement with the buying country, which stipulates the terms of technology transfer and production line transfer. Some technologies are dismantled without authorization, and these countries are prohibited from leaking the technology to other countries.
All in all, China's drone technology is never afraid of leakage, and we have taken a series of protective measures for our core technology. The requirements for science and technology and technical level in UAV technology have also become a major threshold for other countries to research China's UAVs. However, although China's drones have a good reputation in the global market, they are not something that can be bought if you want to.
Fourth, it is even more difficult to buy Chinese drones
UAVs involve key fields such as military and science and technology, so the mainland has implemented strict controls on the export of UAVs. Some drones with core technologies, such as drones that can be equipped with infrared imaging, high-standard endurance and some special functions, will be included in the mainland's export control list.
The mainland will also conduct strict scrutiny in the selection of exporting countries. As an important member of the United Nations, China has an unshirkable responsibility to uphold the principle of international peace. Drones are related to national security, and some countries that violate international arms export control agreements and the principle of international peace will refuse to provide them with the export of drones.
We also choose drone exporters for geopolitical reasons. Nowadays, UAVs have very fierce competition in the global market, and when choosing partners, we generally do not choose those who have competition with the mainland. The mainland prefers countries with similar political positions or strategic cooperative relations to cooperate in the export of drones to ensure our own development.
With the development of science and technology and military in the international community, the application of UAVs will be more extensive, so there is a very broad space for the technological development of UAVs. This is an opportunity for the mainland, but at the same time it will increase our competitive pressure. The mainland's consideration in choosing an exporting country is also to ensure that the mainland can achieve better development of UAVs in the future.
In the future, intelligent and miniaturized UAVs will be the main direction of development. Our country will also support the development of drones so that they can realize their value in more fields. And we're going to keep up with our technology, making it difficult for other countries to catch up with us.
epilogue
The development of China's drone technology has protected the security of our country and also contributed to the development of other countries. The main reason why the mainland is not worried about the leakage of drone technology is because we have a very strong technology integration capability. China's huge UAV market also provides a foundation for the development of China's UAV technology.
In today's international market, China and the United States are in a situation of competition for drone technology, but it is precisely because of this competition that our country continues to improve drone technology. The future UAV market has a very broad space, and I believe that we will be able to achieve further breakthroughs in the field of UAVs and expand more space in the military and civilian fields.
So do you have confidence in the development of UAV technology in the mainland? Welcome to leave your valuable views in the comment area.
[References]
https://www.gov.cn/yaowen//liebiao/202403/content_6942571.htm
There are more than 1.26 million unmanned aerial vehicles! The mainland's low-altitude economy contains a trillion-level market -- Xinhua News Agency
http://www.news.cn/2023-07/31/c_1129778547.htm
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce answers reporters' questions on the export control policy of drones - website of the Ministry of Commerce
http://www.mofcom.gov.cn/article/zwgk/gkzcfb/202307/20230703424616.shtml
Announcement No. 28 of 2023 of the Ministry of Commerce, the General Administration of Customs, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and the Equipment Development Department of the Central Military Commission Announcement on the Implementation of Temporary Export Control on Some UAVs - Security and Control Bureau
https://www.cdstm.cn/theme/khsj/khzk/khzdkx/202204/t20220418_1067674.html
A brief talk about the history of UAV development - China Digital Science and Technology Museum
https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20221114A04QSV00
Foresight 2023: "Panorama of China's UAV Industry in 2023" - Prospective Industry Research Institute
https://new.qq.com/rain/a/20221110A056DV00
China's drone sales have accounted for 70% of the world's share - Yangcheng Evening News
https://www.cnii.com.cn/sm/202303/t20230314_454503.html
Representatives of the aviation community put forward a strategic proposal: how to "exert force" in the future of China's UAVs - Global Times