How China and the US are using different drone strategies to seize air superiority

When Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago, a new theatre of modern warfare emerged where unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) took on vital roles in surveillance and attacks, signalling a shift in the future of air dominance.

While both China and the United States, the world’s two largest military powers, continue to prioritise traditional warplanes in the race for air superiority, both countries have also doubled down on UAVs.

However, the strategic approaches of the two rivals are different, and China’s innovative use of mass produced drones appears to be quickly closing gaps in technologies and capabilities, according to analysts.

“China now emphasises mass production and affordability, making drones a key element in asymmetric warfare … China’s investment in AI-driven autonomy and swarm technologies reflects its goal of overwhelming adversaries with quantity and innovative use cases,” said Michael Raska, an assistant professor at the Military Transformations Programme at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

While China has been exploiting the asymmetric capabilities of drones to counterbalance US air power, analysts said America has invested more in high-end, versatile drones as part of its network-centric warfare strategy.

“The US approach often integrates drones into a broader network-centric warfare strategy, leveraging superior sensor integration and data-sharing capabilities,” Raska said.