It’s always only a matter of time before  countries explore each other’s successes (or failures) and this is no different. Combat drones, powered by advanced technology like artificial intelligence, are the new ‘wingmen’ to Chinese carrier-based fighter jets. Essentially, it appears to be an attempt to compete with the prowess of the United States’ unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs. Some believe that it’s China’s version of the US Navy’s Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike (UCLASS).

According to Shi Wen, chief engineer and designer of China’s Caihong (CH), or Rainbow UAV series, “The joint operations of manned military aircraft, like fighter jets, and UAVs is the drone’s future. We are making efforts to promote artificial intelligence (AI) for UAVs to allow manned aircraft to co-pilot UAVs.”