XI'AN, China – Chinese researchers from a military-linked university have completed the first open sea test in the Paracel Islands of a bionic robot that looks and swims like a manta ray, Chinese media reported. Eurasia Review reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
7 Oct 2021 -- Countries disputing China’s claims in the South China Sea will be watching closely the development of this sophisticated drone.
The state-run China Daily quoted developers from the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) in Xi’an, China, as saying that this bionic unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) has dived deeper than 3,300 feet, including gliding and flapping wing propulsion. They added that it would “play an important role in marine environmental protection.”
The NWPU, which built the manta ray-shaped UUV, is listed by the U.S. Department of Justice as “a Chinese military university that is heavily involved in military research and works closely with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) on the advancement of its military capabilities.”
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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
