The Zhuhai Air Show is set to begin on 07NOV22. During the exhibition, hundreds of new designs of aircraft, missiles, air defense, and other military capabilities will be revealed by Chinese contractors and the government itself. One of those capabilities has been revealed to be an unmanned amphibious combat vehicle pictured below:
No specifications have been released concerning this drone. However, it is clear it has an omni-directional radome and an electro-optical/ infrared 360 degree rotating sensor pod. It is not currently clear how many troops it can hold, if any. While the Peoples Liberation Army Marine Corps has already unveiled an amphibious combat drone, made by the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, that platform is made to defeat beach and littoral defenses. not deliver a squad of troops. The older model pictured below is a 14.7 tonne, 39-foot long vessel which makes an impressive 50 knots (equivalent to 93 km/h or 58 mph) on water, powered by a diesel-powered hydro jet. When approaching land, four sets of tank tracks are deployed to enable it to climb ashore which would then allow it to traverse across land at a modest pace of 20 km/h (12 mph). It is supposed to “swarm” enemy beach defenses which will allow for traditional amphibious assault vehicles to deliver troops. The drone pictured above may just be an upgrade to the one pictured below. Both do not seem capable of delivering large amounts of troops like the American AAV which can hold up to 21.
