Reuters: Russia Secretly Produces Combat Drones in China for the War in Ukraine.

According to a Reuters investigation, Russia has organized secret production of combat drones in China for use in the war with Ukraine.

According to two European intelligence sources and documents provided to the agency, the Russian company "Kupol", which is a subsidiary of "Almaz-Antey", created and tested a new drone called "Harpy-3" (G3) in China with the help of local experts.

"Kupol" stated in a report sent to the Russian Ministry of Defense that it can mass-produce drones, including the G3, at a factory in China for use in the "special military operation" in Ukraine.

According to the documents, the G3 can fly a distance of approximately 2000 km with a payload of 50 kg. Samples of the G3 and other drones that were manufactured in China were delivered to "Kupol" in Russia for further testing with the participation of Chinese experts.

According to intelligence data, seven military drones, including two G3s, were delivered from China to the headquarters of "Kupol" in Izhevsk. These are the first concrete pieces of evidence of entire drones being supplied from China to Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry told Reuters that it had no information about such a project and adheres to strict measures for the export control of drones.

Public relations and defense experts interviewed by Reuters believe that if these supplies are confirmed, it will be an important development. However, Beijing might be cautious in openly expressing support for the Russian military apparatus since it may lead to international sanctions.

Future Plans

According to the documents, "Kupol" also plans to produce the Chinese strike drone REM 1 with a payload of 400 kg, which may be similar to the American Reaper drone, as well as establish a joint Russian-Chinese research and production center for drones in the Kashgar special economic zone in China's Xinjiang province. It is planned that the center will be able to produce 800 drones a year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin stated last week that the Russian military received about 140,000 drones in 2023 and plans to increase this number tenfold this year.