BEIJING: The 10th China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology Expo (CMITE 2025) kicked off on Thursday in Beijing. More than 500 firms brought their latest tech products to the show, with the focus being on drones and anti-drone technologies, the Global Times noted at the event.
The expo offered a wide selection of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) on display. In addition to conventional multi-rotor drones, fixed wing drones and first-person view (FPV) drones, some drones of new concepts were also exhibited.
One of which is a type of coaxial drone that looks like a vacuum cup, called the Hummingbird. The Global Times learned from its developer that the Hummingbird has a standard takeoff weight of 10 kilograms, is capable of carrying three kilograms of payload and can operate for 24 minutes under this configuration. Based on mission demands, it can be equipped with 60 mm or 82 mm mortar shells for attack roles.
A staff member demonstrated to the Global Times how the Hummingbird coaxial drone can be quickly and easily assembled from and disassembled into three parts: the rotor wings and motor, the battery box, and the payload carrier. A single infantry soldier can carry four to five Hummingbird units. Equipped with foldable wings, it can be launched in clusters.
Another genre of UAV that attracted attention was the unmanned ornithopters. These aircraft can flap their wings just like a bird, that it is difficult to tell whether it is an aircraft or a bird, which means it is difficult to be detected.
The drones, designed to mimic various birds, can autonomously fly and plan routes for missions ranging from reconnaissance to attacks. The smallest, a magpie-like drone, weighs just 90 grams, can be launched just by hand and can fly by flapping its wings for several minutes. Equipped with a small camera, it captures and transmits real-time footage, a staff member told the Global Times at the expo.
A type of larger seagull-inspired UAV can carry larger payloads and have longer flight times, supporting gimbals for stable imaging. The series also includes hawk and eagle models, capable of advanced surveillance and armed strikes. For instance, the eagle-like drone weighs 3,580 grams, has a 2-meter wingspan, and operates for 40 minutes within six to eight kilometers, according to its maker, who also noted that the fuselages of these drones are made of lightweight materials such as rubber, making them reusable.
The staff member further revealed that the appearance of these ornithopters can be customized to resemble particular birds, to better hide themselves among birds in different regions.
On the other side of drones, the CMITE 2025 also put many anti-drone technologies on display.
One of them is a lightweight remote-controlled weapon station, the K-25. It can be fixed on the ground or on a vehicle, and loaded with a standard auto rifle to carry out precision attacks on ground and aerial targets in the distance.
A staff member demonstrated the system to the Global Times while explaining that this remote-controlled weapon station is integrated with an intelligent fire control system capable of automatically acquiring, tracking and aiming at specific targets, along with autonomous decision-making capabilities. When equipped with a 5.8 mm auto rifle in a three-shot burst fire mode, it has demonstrated an accuracy of having 90 percent probability of landing one shot in three against a small drone some 200 meters away, and a single-shot hit rate exceeding 90 percent against standing personnel target at 400 meters.
To counter the ubiquitous threat of drones on modern battlefields and reduce casualties, this type of remote-controlled weapon station can be operated via wired or wireless remote control, preventing ground personnel from being directly exposed to the drone’s line of attack. This relatively low-cost counter-drone solution allows for rapid deployment in field environments. Additionally, multiple weapon stations can be networked to form a coordinated firepower grid under the command of an anti-drone detection system, creating a robust defensive network. The K-25 remote-controlled weapon station offers a fast and simple way to counter drones against the background that expensive missiles were needed to intercept cost-efficient drones, according to the staff member. –The Daily Mail-Global Times news exchange item
