While the U.S. struggles to rebuild or even rebuild individual neighborhoods, China is planning entire municipal ecosystems to dominate defense technology. The model, perfected in Baotou, creates a seamless chain from rare earth processing to finished drones, eVTOLs, and robotics.
This is advertised as the bourgeois “low-altitude economy,” a sector worth half a trillion dollars. However, strategic depth is military. These industrial parks are now home to embedded militia units, UAV reconnaissance platoons, and rapid airport repair companies, ensuring that commercial capacity is pre-wired for war mobilization. China solves bottlenecks in its supply chain with integrated, geographically distributed clusters. This architecture fends off shocks and complicates the targeting calculations of opponents. China’s full-fledged industrial clusters provide an invincible competitive advantage. From raw minerals to finished drones, they integrate all layers to eliminate the risks of the traditional supply chain and achieve unprecedented speed. This architecture is inherently dual-use, leaving civilian centers for immediate military mobilization. The West’s fragmented, factory-by-factory approach cannot compete with this intertwined, urban-scale model of production and innovation.
A new Chinese mother drone flying development has been implemented. Chinese developer, Chengdu Aircraft, tested how the J-20A aircraft serves as the main control and combat hub in a networked “system of systems”. The other 10 aircraft types (such as the J-16, KJ-500, drones, etc.) were additional assets in this network. These aircraft were tested as interconnected parts of a unified combat force. The aircraft itself has undergone significant improvements. It now features new WS-15 engines that provide more power and range than any other fighter jet today. Its body has also been redesigned, especially the rear cabin, to be more stealthy and faster. Experts say these tests will change the way China builds an air force. Previously, they focused on the production of aircraft. Now a completely new combat system is being built and tested, where the J-20A acts as a control center in the sky, controlling other aircraft. The Chinese Air Force is getting these advanced aircraft very quickly. By 2030, it is planned to acquire about 1000 J-20s. Their pilots are already practicing on complex, real-life missions near Taiwan.
China is already working on three different sixth-generation fighter aircraft designs for the 2030s. The successful first flight of the Chinese CH-7 “Rainbow” high-altitude stealth drone marks a key moment in space strategy. This elegant tailless flying wing design benefits one feature above all: exceptionally low detectability. Its purpose is not air combat, but to serve as an invasive, long-range surveillance tool in the sky, to be able to operate in a radar-saturated environment in the areas of intelligence, reconnaissance and targeting, as well as above-horizon targeting. The drone’s impressive technical specifications, according to data reported during the development phases, include a wingspan of 22 to 26 meters, a maximum speed of about 920 km/h, a service ceiling of 13,000 meters, and an impressive 15 hours of endurance within a range of 2000 km. The drone has a payload of 2000 kg and a range of more than 11,500 km. Chinese experts have strategically optimized the CH-7 as a primary detection and targeting platform, which it performs excellently in this role, rather than as a direct combat support.
Translated and edited by Leo Albert
