China Unveils New GPS-Denied Drone Tech
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Chinese researchers developed a new method to enable UAVs to maneuver, acquire, and potentially attack targets in GPS “denied” environments. The technique proposes using “image-based visual servoing” (IBVS) to “lock on” to hostile assets, a method that could even be used to acquire quickly moving targets.
According to Interesting Engineering, this new GPS-denied functionality is likely to find a home in military drones. But while acquiring and tracking targets in GPS-denied areas is extremely useful, in most cases human operators are still required to give the final command.
Technology and security expert at New America Peter Singer says this might be about to change, noting that the increased use of artificial intelligence and drone autonomy is quickly becoming necessary as human-controlled drones become less effective due to hacking.
Singer explained to Defense One: “The days of a human joysticking a drone from afar, using an unchallenged control signal and easy access to GPS or StarLink, are on their way out. It was easy to see this trend before Ukraine; what is happening there only reinforces it.”
He also questioned why such revolutionary technology is allowed to be freely printed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), explaining that the CCP’s strict censors sometimes permit seemingly sensitive information to reach beyond top leadership in non-classified settings, including official party documents on tech policy and military journal articles on robot warfare doctrine.
It is clear that Chinese scientists have professional reasons to ensure worldwide awareness of their work, but Singer adds that these publications can also increase the value of Chinese weapons to potential third-party buyers.
“Then there is the indeliberate side. Our new digital world means orders of magnitude more information is being produced and shared than ever before in human history… even the most dedicated authoritarian regime, ‘Can’t stop the signal…Everything goes somewhere.” explained Singer.
This information was provided by Interesting Engineering.
