Recently, something strange happened on the Ukrainian battlefield: a new Russian bomb completely overwhelmed the Ukrainian air defense system. But when the Ukrainians picked up the wreckage and disassembled it, they were stunned — the core of this powerful weapon was actually an engine sold in China's civilian market!

Even more astonishing is that this engine isn't only used by the Russian military, but also appears in weapons developed by American defense newcomers. This situation sounds surreal, but it actually reveals a new approach to modern warfare, which is particularly enlightening for our PLA. Today, let's break it down and explain clearly.

First, understand what kind of weapon this is. The weapon that has been troubling the Ukrainian forces is called S-8000 "Delivery Package," which sounds like a delivery name, but it's deadly. It's not a high-tech new development; essentially, it's an old bomb modified — adding a glide wing, a guidance module, and a small engine to a regular free-fall bomb, transforming it from "randomly thrown" into "precise long-range shooting."

Don't underestimate this modification; the effect doubles immediately: originally, the range of Russia's glide bombs was just a hundred kilometers, but after adding the engine, it increased to 5,200 kilometers, with a speed of 650 km/h. A payload of over 100 kg can destroy fortifications, and one shot can flip them over. In last year's Avdiivka campaign, this weapon wiped out several Ukrainian strongholds in three minutes, with very flexible movement, making it impossible for the Ukrainian air defense system to intercept.

The key question: How did a Chinese civilian engine end up on the battlefield? When the Ukrainians disassembled the wreckage, they found that the engine of the S-8000 was a SW800Pro model produced by a domestic private company. You might not believe it, but this device is not a military product at all; it's used for civilian drones and model aircraft, available on Taobao, costing only 120,000 RMB.

Some may ask: Is this considered us providing weapons to Russia? Actually, it's not. First, this engine is purely a civilian item, not listed in the export control list; second, how did the Russians get it? It's likely that Western capitalists have arranged it — the Ukrainians previously analyzed 58 pieces of Russian weapon wreckage and found that 67% of the parts came from the United States. Even the electronic components of the "Kalibr" cruise missiles are Western goods. In short, whoever makes money will sell it.

More ironically, a U.S. defense star company named Mach Industries, which develops new loitering munitions for the U.S. military, also uses the same SW800Pro engine. Knowing that this company once posted about "Taiwan Strait War Countdown" to please the Pentagon, it turns out that it later used a Chinese civilian engine to solve its urgent needs. This shows the hollowing out of American manufacturing.

How dangerous is this weapon? Why are the Ukrainians desperate? The core reason why the Ukrainians fear this weapon is two words: hard to defend and cheap. Let's first talk about the difficulty of defense: the bomb is small in size, and its thermal signal is not obvious during flight, making it difficult to detect with radar. After adding the engine, the range increases several times, allowing Russian aircraft to launch from 5,200 kilometers away without flying to the front line, leaving less than half the time for the Ukrainian air defense systems to react, often resulting in the alarm sounding before the bomb reaches their heads.

Now, looking at the price: a traditional cruise missile costs millions of dollars, while the total cost of the S-8000 is only 300,000 USD, which is cheaper than many shells. The Russians can mass-produce and throw them, either using quantity to exhaust Ukraine's air defense missiles or focusing on critical targets. The Ukrainians can neither fight nor not fight, so can they not be desperate? Now, the Ukrainians have confirmed that this weapon has started mass production.

The key point comes: What inspiration does this bring to the PLA? The Russians' move actually demonstrates a new way of "low-cost victory," and the main inspirations for us are in three aspects:

First, old inventory bombs can become "precision long-range cannons": Our PLA has a large number of traditional aerial bombs. If we follow the Russian approach, we can equip these old bombs with Beidou guidance modules, glide wings, and civilian power packs, turning them into precision-guided weapons with minimal cost. For example, after modification, an old bomb might cost tens of thousands, with a range of hundreds of kilometers. If mass-produced, they can be launched en masse during wartime, overwhelming the enemy's air defense system.

Second, civilian technology is a "military accelerator": How strong is China's civilian industry chain? Small turbojet engines, drones, guidance chips — all are world-class. The Russians used such a 120,000 RMB civilian engine to modify a weapon, and it worked so well. If we integrate civilian technology into the military, we can save years of R&D cycles and keep costs extremely low. For example, in 2021, the U.S. bought less than 100 civilian engines from us, but in 2022, it jumped to over 1,800, showing that they are also learning this technique.

Third, "disposable weapons" are the future trend: Modern warfare is about consumption. If expensive missiles are used to attack ordinary targets, they can't last for long. However, these cheap bombs made from civilian components can be used as "consumables." For example, drones can carry them and stay airborne for 24 hours, attacking targets as soon as they are detected, being both flexible and cost-effective, with a high cost-performance ratio.

The Russian operation of modifying a Chinese civilian engine into a bomb is not just a shortcut, but rather tapping into the pulse of modern warfare: in the future, it's not necessarily the case that the more expensive the weapon, the better. Instead, weapons that are cheap, effective, and mass-producible will be more useful.

We have the most complete manufacturing system in the world, and a massive number of civilian high-tech enterprises. If we integrate these advantages, we can develop our own "low-cost precision strike arsenal," which can rapidly enhance combat capability and reduce the cost of war. This may be the key to the future battlefield — "using cheapness to counter cost, and using quantity to win."

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7565496931619815962/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion below using the [Up/Down] buttons.