russia launches production of new Harpy-3 UAVs in China – Reuters
25 September 2024 17:40
Russia has secretly launched the production of attack drones in China for the war in Ukraine. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the a report by Reuters.
According to sources in European intelligence and documents obtained by the editorial office, Russia has created an arms programme in China to develop and produce long-range attack drones. A subsidiary of the Russian arms company Almaz-Antey conducted flight tests of a new drone model called the Harpy-3 (G3) in China. And the Kupol company informed the Russian Ministry of Defence that it is capable of producing drones in large quantities at a factory in China for use in combat operations in Ukraine.
In turn, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Reuters that it was unaware of the project and that China has strict controls on drone exports. Kupol, Almaz-Antey, and the Russian Ministry of Defence did not comment on this information.
The media also reported that according to the documents it had access to, the Russian company Kupol had received seven Chinese-made military drones, including two G3 models. This is the first concrete evidence that such drones have been delivered to Russia from China since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. Both intelligence sources who disclosed this information asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the information.
When questioned, China has repeatedly denied that it has provided weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine, saying the country remains neutral.
Meanwhile, European intelligence sources reported that Kupol was in contact with Chinese suppliers through a Russian firm called TSK Vector, and that orders for drones were planned to be placed through another Russian firm, Redlepus TSK Vector Industrial. The presence of a Russian company in China could help Russia circumvent Western sanctions and gain access to advanced technologies and chips.
It should be noted that the G3 UAV is an upgraded version of the Harpy-A1 drone and was redesigned by Chinese specialists. “Kupol has also announced the development of the REM 1 attack drone with a payload of 400 kg, which will be similar to the US Reaper drone. It is planned to set up production facilities in Kashgar, China, to produce 800 drones per year
