China has unveiled the Sunflower-200, a modified version of Iran’s Shahed suicide drone, which has sparked rumors that Beijing may immediately provide the weapon to countries that are important to its geostrategic goals and interests.
However, given that the conflict in Ukraine is becoming more and more characterized by drone battle, it is unclear whether China may offer the Sunflower-200 to Russia and run the risk of American sanctions.
Forbes reported on a new movie this month that showed the test launch of the Chinese-made bomber drone. The drone, which was spotted in images from Russia’s ARMY – 2023 security exhibition in Moscow in August, is thought to be a replica of the Egyptian Shahed-136.
The Sunflower – 200 is in an innovative stage of development, according to a Forbes report, and may be only weeks away from full-scale production.
The Sunflower-200 is marketed as a low-cost weapon intended to engage long-range stationary targets on the China Defense website, which offers professional information on China’s weapons systems to foreign clients.
According to the site, the helicopter is 3.2 meters long, 2.5 meters wide, and can fly between 160 and 220 kilometers per hour. According to China Defense, the Sunflower – 200 can travel up to 2000 meters to employ goals and has a maximum take-off mass of 175 pounds.
The original Shahed robots were imported from Iran, and more recent studies indicate that Russia is today producing them internally under license, according to Forbes.
A Shahed-136 shop will be built in the Yelabuga area west of Moscow, with manufacturing set to begin in 2024 and a projected outcome of 6, 000 drones over the following few years to help Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, according to an Asia Times report from Russia and Iran in June 2023. Additionally, it is well known that Persian security firms have provided parts to Russian factories for drone construction.
To improve the Shahed-136’s fatality, accuracy, and range, Russia reportedly upgraded its warhead and added GLONASS dish guidance units to its existing orbital guidance system.
Real-time power is not possible with the GLONASS switch, and a lighter load is necessary for the heavier guidance system.
Russia has also planned to improve the original Shahed design in a number of ways, including replacing its loud gasoline engine with obnoxious electric motor and putting in parts that are better suited for the Russian battlefields’ freezing weather. & nbsp,
Forbes points out that there are concerns about the severity of these switch projects, as evidenced by the Shahed-136 crash in Romania, which showed problems with the Iranian-designed, Russian-made drones’ quality control.
According to Forbes, the Sunflower – 200 is an update with comparable performance, variety, and features rather than a direct copy of the Shahed.
It mentions that the aircraft has a smart advice product resembling the Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator( DSMAC ), which was created for the Tomahawk cruise missile, and that it can be launched using either jet or rocket.
The military aircraft industry in Russia has many vulnerabilities as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. According to Asia Times’ report from July 2022, these include limited access to cutting-edge technologies as a result of American sanctions, the requirement for high-end systems authorized for functional use, and the general underdevelopment of drone-making capacity.
Russia’s helicopter program is even hampered by a lack of critical helicopter technologies and materials as well as restrictions on short-range military drones. Progress is reportedly being hampered by conflicting needs from various military branches.
China is now the world’s top producer of battle robots, according to Asia Times’ report from August 2022, in contrast to Russia. Through liberal export policies, adaptable payment options, strong support from the Chinese Communist Party, and years of slow engineering of foreign technology, China has established that market position.
According to Reuters, which cited information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute( SIPRI ), China has exported at least 282 sizable armed combat drones to 17 nations over the past ten years, while the US has only exported 12 to France and Britain.
In order to avoid American sanctions, China has adopted a optimistic stance toward the Ukraine battle, balancing and calibrating its support for Russia. Despite the fact that China is known to have sent dual-use drones to Russia for military reasons, it is unlikely that the Sunflower-200 will soon be in Russia’s army.
For instance, in May 2022, Asia Times reported that Chinese aircraft manufacturer DJI had halted operations in Russia and Ukraine, making it the first significant Chinese company to do so in the midst of a fight that the West has cruelly denounced and heavily sanctioned its enablers.
Although DJI has refrained from selling military-related goods, its drones are frequently used in Russia and Ukraine for ambushes, shooting, artillery spotting, and reconnaissance.
Between December 2022 and April 2023, according to Asia Times, Soviet companies imported at least 37 Foreign drones for US$ 103 000 that were listed in customs clearance documents as part of Russia’s” special army operation.”
Additionally, Russian businesses paid Chinese businesses$ 1.2 million for drone detection and jamming equipment and$ 36, 077 for ten rugged individual computers with documentation identifying every item for use in the” special army activity.”
The income highlight China’s nuanced stance on the Ukraine conflict, where neither a tremendous Russian victory nor an overwhelming Russian loss serve its interests.
Russia’s current reliance on China as a source of income and diplomacy would be ended if Russia were to win, which would end American support for Ukraine and ultimately lead to the continuation of Russian energy exports to Europe and the lifting of European sanctions.
However, a Russian victory in which Ukraine is able to retake much of its occupied lands and impose significant fatalities on the Russian government would show how effective American aid and sanctions are, setting an unfavorable precedent for China on Taiwan.
The results that would best serve China’s interests by ensuring Moscows’ continued dependency on Beijing is likely to be a Korean War-style armistice in which the conflict is continuously frozen. As a result, China would continue to have an advantage over Russia in terms of energy imports, disputed borders, and arms sales, as well as potentially lethal aircraft transfers.