[Janes Defense Reveals China's Orbital Catapult-Tactical Multi-Purpose Drone]
According to a report published on August 25, 2026, by Jane’s Defence Weekly (UK), the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Ground Force has officially fielded an upgraded version of the KVD-001 tactical Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) drone. On August 23, China Military Watch released a post on social media for the first time naming this platform as the KVB-001. The report features imagery showing the drone launching via a zero-length rail system mounted on a military truck, using rocket boosters during flight training on August 13.
This is not the first time official media has released visuals of the KVB-001. In 2024, the PLA Daily had previously published photos of the same drone being launched from a vehicle-mounted rail system, though at that time no formal designation was disclosed. The latest disclosure confirms that this platform has now been formally inducted into the PLA Ground Force inventory.
Currently, there is limited public information regarding the operational details of the KVB-001. It is highly likely to be an upgraded variant of the KVD-001 drone developed by Xi’an Aisheng Technology Group, which entered service between 2020 and 2021.
From the images, the KVB-001 appears shorter in body length compared to the KVD-001, with a more streamlined satellite communication antenna on top of the fuselage. The main body of the KVB-001 is taller, with flatter side profiles, and features a data-link antenna positioned beneath the rear fuselage. Like its predecessor, the KVB-001 retains a twin-boom, twin-vertical-tail configuration; a rotatable electro-optical turret is located under the nose, likely housing electro-optical (EO) and forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensors. Power is believed to come from a four-cylinder piston engine driving a fixed-pitch, two-blade wooden laminated propeller.
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Original source: toutiao.com/article/1874586945319947/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author.