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China has carried out staged ground invasions using ‘robot wolves’ amid fears it is preparing to invade Taiwan.
In scenes reminiscent of 2017 Black Mirror episode, Metal Head, footage aired on state television showed the new warefare tactic being used on a beach.
The four-legged devices are being developed for front-line attacks in an effort to reduce combat casualties, the People’s Liberation Army said.
Recent footage aired on state television showed the so-called ‘robot wolves’ being used in a practice drone-led assault on a beach.
The four-legged devices are being developed with the aim of replacing front-line human soldiers to reduce combat casualties.
They are designed to clear barbed wire and tackle other battlefield obstacles with ease, giving the PLA a tool that can be deployed much like the drone swarms, which are now widely used in the war in Ukraine to overwhelm enemy air defences.
The robots each weigh around 70kg are capable of firing accurately, according to state-linked media report.
It’s believed they can hit targets at a distance of up to 100 metres.
Footage of the staged invasion also appeared to show a group of FPV kamikaze drones being used alongside the ‘wolves’.
The ‘robot wolves’ are best suited for ‘urban reconnaissance, breaching, or remote weapons but are limited by battery life, vulnerable communications, and small payloads,’ according to Lt Col Jahara ‘Franky’ Matisek, a US Air Force command pilot and command centre director at the US Northern Command, who spoke to The Independent last month.
The robots bear a striking resemblance to those used in the Black Mirror episode, Metal Head, which sees a woman played by actor Maxine Peak, relentlessly chased by a killer four-legged robot.
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic world and the robot is able to operate a car and recharge in the sun, among other tricks that make it particularly lethal.
The recent staged invasion in China comes amid rising fears its government is preparing to invade the island nation of Taiwan, with Beijing appearing increasingly aggressive towards its neighbour in recent years.
Earlier this year it sent dozens of aircraft and naval vessels to surround Taiwan during extensive military manoeuvres.
Meanwhile satellite images show what appear to be Chinese ‘invasion barges’, massive platforms that connect to create a mobile pier that could allow soldiers and vehicles to access Taiwan’s shores.
The Chinese government views Taiwan as part of its territory, despite the island having its own democratic government and operating independently for decades.
Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, meanwhile, has sought ties with the US, in the hope the country’s international power can keep Beijing at bay.
Some analysts suggest that due to the US connection, and China’s reliance on its export economy with the west, Beijing is unlikely to launch a full-scale invasion and will opt for less direct measures to put pressure on Taiwan.
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