中
国正在加大无人驾驶飞行器的生产，此举显然是要力图迎头赶上在这个领域领先的美国和以色列。无人机技术被认为是军用航空领域未来的发展方向。西方国家的国防部官员和专家在本周珠海航展上，很惊讶地看到中国展示了超过25款无人机(UAV)。而仅仅是四年前同样在珠海航展上，中国才第一次推出了其无人机概念，即便是2008年上届珠海航展上，中国也只是展示了为数不多的几架无人机，因此这次展示的无人机数量之众可谓盛况空前。
从中国在无人机研制方面的长足进步可以很明显地看出，随着自己全球政治和经济实力的增强，中国开始升级其大规模军事装备的雄心壮志。美国和以色列是目前世界上研发此类无人机技术的领导者。无人机在伊拉克和阿富汗战争中立下了汗马功劳。分析人士说，无人机或许有一天可以替代战斗机。
本届珠海航展上展示的无人机，其中有几架专门负责发射导弹，其动力来源由喷气发动机提供，也就是说这种无人机理论上的飞行速度或许可以超过美国在伊拉克、阿富汗和巴基斯坦使用的螺旋桨式“捕食者”(Predator)和“死神”(Reaper)无人机。
参展方并未具体说明哪些中国无人机已经投入使用，不过其中一个参展方证实，中国人民解放军已至少部署了两种螺旋桨式无人侦察机，这种侦察机曾在去年国庆60周年阅兵仪式上亮相。
不过此次展示的众多无人机显然说明中国在研发无人机技术方面投入了大量时间和资金，并且正积极推动其无人机产品走向国际市场。
中国无人机的迅猛发展无论是对国内外安全还是对包括伊朗在内的很多其它国家来说，都意味深长。伊朗不管是出于军事目的还是为加强警方监视和反恐装备，其购买无人机的努力一直未获实现。
中国无人机的发展尤其引起美国和以色列的忧虑，这两个国家无人机的先进程度在当今世界无人能敌。另外，中国无人机可能还会让中国的邻国担忧，很多邻国与中国就东中国海和南中国海都有领土之争。
中国无人机技术的明显进展可能还会刺激其它国家加快研发本国无人机或购买无人机计划，尤其是印度和日本。
美中经济与安全评估委员会(U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission)周三发表了一份报告，其中特别强调了美国对于中国无人机的担忧。该委员会由美国国会在2000年成立，负责评估美国与中国贸易和经济关系对美国国家安全的影响。
报告说，中国空军已部署了多种无人飞行器用于侦察和作战。
报告援引五角大楼早前的一份报告说，除此以外，中国正在开发一系列中高空长航时无人飞行器，这些飞行器一旦部署，将扩大解放军进行远距离侦察和打击的选项。
军事与航空专家说，中国的无人机或许仍旧落后于美国和以色列无人机数年之久，而很多国家尝试开发自己的无人机，结果都失败了。但他们也说，中国其他民用和军事航空技术正在迅速赶上，这在很大程度上得益于外国航空公司向中国合资公司转移的技术。
他们也暗示中国曾得到以色列的帮助。以色列在90年代向中国出售反雷达无人机，五角大楼大为震怒，后来就不让以色列提供升级产品。
The Wall Street Journal
装备数枚导弹和一台战机发动机的WJ600
航天科工方面人士拒绝置评，但该公司演示的一段视频和一段二维拼接镜头显示，中国军队正在使用WJ600来帮助攻击一艘疑似美国航空母舰；这艘航空母舰正在朝着中国海岸附近的一个岛屿行驶，很多参观者猜测这个岛屿就是台湾。
另一家公司展示了一架装载空对地导弹的无人攻击机。这家公司是中国空间项目的主要承包商之一中国航天科技集团公司。
展出无人机最多的是西安爱生技术集团公司。它展出了10款无人机，声称控制着中国国内90%的市场。爱生公司方面人士说，解放军已经在使用其中两款无人机，但两款都不是为了挂载武器。
不过他们展出的无人机当中，也有一款是整个展会上最大的无人机，即ASN-229A侦察与精确打击无人机。其用途是挂载空对地导弹，并使用卫星通讯对半径2,000公里以内的目标进行定位和打击。
爱生公司方面人士说，公司这一款和其他几款无人机全都在生产，但还没有全部推向市场，多数可以用于军事活动，同时也可用于民事活动，比如用于监测高压电线架和油气管道。
一款正在开发的无人机是ASN-211，大小跟一只大一点的鸭子差不多，还有拍打着的翅膀（扑翼）。它主要是用于在敌后执行侦察任务。
该公司一位人士说，我不能告诉你哪些型号我们已经卖往海外，因为这是机密，不过我们当然是有兴趣出口的，正因如此我们才在这里展出。
Jeremy Page
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
China is ramping up production of unmanned aerial vehicles in an apparent bid to catch up with the U.S. and Israel in developing technology that is considered the future of military aviation.
Western defense officials and experts were surprised to see more than 25 different Chinese models of the unmanned aircraft, known as UAVs, on display at this week's Zhuhai air show in this southern Chinese city. It was a record number for a country that unveiled its first concept UAVs at the same air show just four years ago and put only a handful on display at the last one in 2008.
The apparent progress in UAVs is a stark sign of China's ambition to upgrade its massive military as its global political and economic clout grows. The U.S. and Israel are the currently the world leaders in developing such pilotless drones, which have played a major role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and which analysts say could one day replace the fighter jet.
This year's models in Zhuhai included several designed to fire missiles, and one powered by a jet engine, meaning it could--in theory--fly faster than the propeller-powered Predator and Reaper drones the U.S. has used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Exhibitors didn't give precise details of which Chinese drones were fully operational, although one confirmed that the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, had deployed at least two propeller-powered reconnaissance UAVs, which featured in last year's 60th National Day parade.
But the large number of UAVs on display illustrates clearly that China is investing considerable time and money in development of drone technology and is actively promoting its products on the international market.
That has implications for China's external and domestic security, as well as for many other countries, including Iran, that have sought in vain to acquire drones either for military purposes or for police surveillance and antiterrorist operations.
It is of particular concern to the U.S. and Israel, whose drones are unrivaled in the world today, and could worry China's neighbors, many of which have territorial disputes with China in the East and South China Seas.
China's apparent progress is likely to spur other countries, especially India and Japan, to accelerate their own UAV development or acquisition programs.
U.S. anxiety about China's UAVs were highlighted in a report released Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was formed by Congress in 2000 to assess the national security implications of trade and economic relations with China.
'The PLA Air Force has deployed several types of unmanned aerial vehicles for both reconnaissance and combat purposes,' the report said.
'In addition, China is developing a variety of medium- and high-altitude long-endurance unmanned vehicles, which when deployed, will expand the PLA Air Force's 'options for long-range reconnaissance and strike,'' it said, citing an earlier Pentagon report.
Military and aviation experts say China's drones are still probably several years behind U.S. and Israeli models, noting that many countries have tried and failed to develop their own UAVs. But they also said China was catching up fast in other areas of civil and military aviation technology, thanks in large part to technology transferred by foreign aerospace companies in Chinese joint ventures.
They suggested, too, that China had been helped by Israel, which sold China antiradar drones in the 1990s--to the fury of the Pentagon, which has since blocked the Israelis from providing upgrades.
The Chinese drone of greatest potential concern to the U.S. is the one with several missiles and a jet engine, called the WJ600, that was displayed by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp., or Casic, one of China's top weapons makers.
Casic officials declined to comment, but a video and a two-dimensional montage displayed by the company showed Chinese forces using the WJ600 to help attack what appeared to be a U.S. aircraft carrier steaming toward an island off China's coast that many visitors assumed to be Taiwan.
Another company that displayed an attack drone, complete with air-to-ground missiles, was China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp., one of the main contractors in China's space program.
The company showing the most UAVs, with 10, was ASN Technology Group, which claims to control 90% of China's domestic market. ASN officials said two of those were already being used by the PLA but neither was designed to carry weapons.
However, their display also included a model of the largest UAV at the show, the ASN-229A Reconnaissance and Precise Attack UAV, which is designed to carry air-to-ground missiles and to use a satellite link to locate and attack targets over a radius of 2,000 kilometers.
Company officials said that and the other ASN models were all in production but not yet all on the market, and most could be used for military operations as well as civilian ones such as monitoring electricity pylons and oil and gas pipelines.
One model under development was the ASN-211, which is about the size of a large duck and has flapping wings. It is designed primarily for carrying out reconnaissance behind enemy lines.
'I can't tell you which models we have sold overseas, as that's secret, but of course we're interested in exporting them,' said one of the company officials. 'That's why we're displaying them here.'
Jeremy Page
Western defense officials and experts were surprised to see more than 25 different Chinese models of the unmanned aircraft, known as UAVs, on display at this week's Zhuhai air show in this southern Chinese city. It was a record number for a country that unveiled its first concept UAVs at the same air show just four years ago and put only a handful on display at the last one in 2008.
The apparent progress in UAVs is a stark sign of China's ambition to upgrade its massive military as its global political and economic clout grows. The U.S. and Israel are the currently the world leaders in developing such pilotless drones, which have played a major role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and which analysts say could one day replace the fighter jet.
This year's models in Zhuhai included several designed to fire missiles, and one powered by a jet engine, meaning it could--in theory--fly faster than the propeller-powered Predator and Reaper drones the U.S. has used in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Exhibitors didn't give precise details of which Chinese drones were fully operational, although one confirmed that the People's Liberation Army, or PLA, had deployed at least two propeller-powered reconnaissance UAVs, which featured in last year's 60th National Day parade.
But the large number of UAVs on display illustrates clearly that China is investing considerable time and money in development of drone technology and is actively promoting its products on the international market.
That has implications for China's external and domestic security, as well as for many other countries, including Iran, that have sought in vain to acquire drones either for military purposes or for police surveillance and antiterrorist operations.
It is of particular concern to the U.S. and Israel, whose drones are unrivaled in the world today, and could worry China's neighbors, many of which have territorial disputes with China in the East and South China Seas.
China's apparent progress is likely to spur other countries, especially India and Japan, to accelerate their own UAV development or acquisition programs.
U.S. anxiety about China's UAVs were highlighted in a report released Wednesday by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, which was formed by Congress in 2000 to assess the national security implications of trade and economic relations with China.
'The PLA Air Force has deployed several types of unmanned aerial vehicles for both reconnaissance and combat purposes,' the report said.
'In addition, China is developing a variety of medium- and high-altitude long-endurance unmanned vehicles, which when deployed, will expand the PLA Air Force's 'options for long-range reconnaissance and strike,'' it said, citing an earlier Pentagon report.
Military and aviation experts say China's drones are still probably several years behind U.S. and Israeli models, noting that many countries have tried and failed to develop their own UAVs. But they also said China was catching up fast in other areas of civil and military aviation technology, thanks in large part to technology transferred by foreign aerospace companies in Chinese joint ventures.
They suggested, too, that China had been helped by Israel, which sold China antiradar drones in the 1990s--to the fury of the Pentagon, which has since blocked the Israelis from providing upgrades.
The Chinese drone of greatest potential concern to the U.S. is the one with several missiles and a jet engine, called the WJ600, that was displayed by China Aerospace Science & Industry Corp., or Casic, one of China's top weapons makers.
Casic officials declined to comment, but a video and a two-dimensional montage displayed by the company showed Chinese forces using the WJ600 to help attack what appeared to be a U.S. aircraft carrier steaming toward an island off China's coast that many visitors assumed to be Taiwan.
Another company that displayed an attack drone, complete with air-to-ground missiles, was China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp., one of the main contractors in China's space program.
The company showing the most UAVs, with 10, was ASN Technology Group, which claims to control 90% of China's domestic market. ASN officials said two of those were already being used by the PLA but neither was designed to carry weapons.
However, their display also included a model of the largest UAV at the show, the ASN-229A Reconnaissance and Precise Attack UAV, which is designed to carry air-to-ground missiles and to use a satellite link to locate and attack targets over a radius of 2,000 kilometers.
Company officials said that and the other ASN models were all in production but not yet all on the market, and most could be used for military operations as well as civilian ones such as monitoring electricity pylons and oil and gas pipelines.
One model under development was the ASN-211, which is about the size of a large duck and has flapping wings. It is designed primarily for carrying out reconnaissance behind enemy lines.
'I can't tell you which models we have sold overseas, as that's secret, but of course we're interested in exporting them,' said one of the company officials. 'That's why we're displaying them here.'
Jeremy Page
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