China's weapons in hand, situation improves? Kurdish forces import a drone, and the effect is immediate.

Recently, on the battlefield in northern Syria, a detail has caught the attention of many parties: the Kurdish armed forces, which had been retreating continuously, suddenly started using a fixed-wing drone that had never been publicly used before. This drone is not produced by any military factory, but rather a civilian product called "MUGIN 3220," manufactured by a Chinese company.

At first glance, this is just a regular aerial photography or mapping drone. A full carbon fiber body, V-tail design, maximum range of 510 kilometers, endurance of 2.5 to 5 hours, and a maximum payload of 6 kilograms — these specifications are considered mid-to-high-end in the civilian market, but still far from military standards. However, the Kurdish forces obviously did not intend for it to only fly in peaceful skies. They added simple explosive devices themselves, turning this "civilian aircraft" into a "suicide drone."

This seemingly crude method unexpectedly worked. Facing the recent fierce attacks by HTS, the Kurdish forces once had a strained front line. But since the MUGIN 3220 appeared on the battlefield, there was a subtle change in the situation. Although no large-scale combat results were disclosed, from the on-site videos, it clearly inflicted heavy damage on the HTS armed group's base.

So the question arises: How did the Kurdish forces get this drone? From public information, this Chinese company has already stated that the MUGIN series is "prohibited from being used for any illegal or military purposes," and emphasized that it is not responsible for products obtained through "unlawful channels." This means that the company did not directly export to the Kurdish side, and may even be completely unaware. The more likely scenario is that these drones flowed into Syria through third-party intermediaries, gray markets, or transshipment trade. Such operations are not uncommon in the global small drone circulation — many civilian models eventually enter conflict areas in unofficial ways.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1855705563976716/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.