A Chinese technology firm is testing a new attack drone specifically designed to help ground troops in street-level combat, in the hope that it can sell the unit abroad, reports say, Liu Zhen reports in the South China Morning Post.

Tianyi mini-quadcopter (Picture source: Weibo)

Engineers recently completed a successful air-to-ground test firing exercise for the mini-quadcopter named Tianyi, Modern Weaponry reported. The developer, Tianjin Zhongwei Aerospace Data System Technology, said the unmanned aerial vehicle had been designed to carry out both reconnaissance missions and close-range strikes against armored vehicles or individuals in an urban environment. “It is suitable for circumstances that include asymmetric combat, counterterrorism and special forces [operations] and street battles,” the report said. The report said the manufacturers were analyzing the data from the most recent test but did not say when the Tianyi would move from development into production.

Military commentator Song Zhongping said quadcopters such as the Tianyi were easy to maneuver and could navigate their way around buildings and carry out precision strikes – even firing through windows at close range. The makers say the drone, which is designed to be controlled by soldiers on the ground, has an operational distance of 5km (3 miles) and has a vertical range of 6km.
It will be fitted with infrared and laser detectors to enable night surveillance operations and armed with two 50mm rockets designed to strike from a distance of up to 1km.

Tianyi, developed by a subsidiary of state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, was first unveiled at Zhuhai Air Show 2018.