China is demonstrating that, In technological terms, he wants to occupy the place in the United States and Europe. Not only through large technological or scientific ventures, but also through super -tone or mobile phones and wearable devices. And its most recent step in this path has presented it at the 10th Exhibition of Military Intelligent Technology of China (Beijing) (Cmite 2025) with the ornithoptera.
To achieve invisibility in the Air War, China has fled metamaterials and radar systems and has focused on several unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), commonly known as drones, in a category that It stands out for its concept and capacity: drones that mimic birds.
Also known as ornitoptera, these drones are designed for functions of recognition, infiltration and direct combat. Unlike the traditional Rotary or Fixed Wing UAV, the ornithoptera replicate the flight dynamics of real birds, achieving an almost perfect biomimetics. The result is A visually indistinguishable drone system of fauna, which allows it to evade the detection of human observers and most conventional radar systems.
The exhibition representatives informed the Chinese state newspaper Global Times that these ornithoptera are Developing in various avian forms, including urracas, seagulls, hawks and eagles, each adapted to specific operational profiles. The smallest variant, with a Urraca shape, weighs 90 grams and can be launched manually. Despite its compact size, it has a microcamara that provides live surveillance images.
With short, but tactically significant autonomy, it is ideal for urban recognition missions and advanced observation where it is unnoticed is crucial. This microdron It will be displayed in swarm configurations to saturate enemy surveillance and provide constant situational knowledge.
On the other hand, the largest models, such as the variants of the seagull and eagle, transport more heavy useful loads and greater autonomy. The Águila type UAV, for example, with an approximate weight of 3.6 kilograms and a two -meter wingspan, can fly for 40 minutes on an operational radius of 6 to 8 km. And what is more important, can transport offensive ammunition, including precision guided micromunitions.
Another remarkable innovation is the “hummingbird” or hummingbird drone. This compact system also deceives from its own name: It can take off with a standard weight of 10 kg and perform attack missions. It admits up to 3 kg of payload and can be armed with 60 mm or 82 mm mortar projectiles. Modular and laptop, Hummingbird can be deployed in swarm tactics, which allows to concentrate the precision fire power from the air.
A single infantry soldier can transport several units, allowing forces of platoon for forces aerial lethality without depending on external air support.These ornithoptera are made of light and resistant rubber materials. They can be reused and are easy to maintain, which is important for long -term use in tactical situations.
Another key feature is your customization. Developers can Modify the design of each drone to match the local bird species. This helps the drones integrate into the environment, making them difficult to see in rural and urban areas. They are useful for secret missions, psychological operations and surveillance in dangerous environments.