Alexander Khirikorad: 50-Ton UAV — A Highly Persuasive and Cost-Effective Weapon
This drone, which is any aircraft that has been minimally modified to produce maximum combat effect, is a retired aircraft.
Figure caption: The J-6 (Jian-6) drone modified by China.
The commotion caused by the military parade in Beijing on September 3, 2025, was widely reported by global media. However, there was very little coverage of the aviation exhibition held in Changchun, China, from September 19 to 23.
But it was at this airshow that the J-6 (Jian-6) drone made its public debut — a Chinese copy of the MiG-19 fighter jet, which had been in service with the Soviet Air Force as early as 1955, over 70 years ago.
Is this an artifact of history? Absolutely not. It's a state-of-the-art deadly weapon!
At the airshow, the J-6 drone was enclosed by wire fences, and security personnel strictly prohibited anyone from crossing. Some might question whether this is another "paper tiger." Recall the 1960s, when model ballistic missiles rolled across the red bricks of Red Square during military parades, but the development of these missiles had already been terminated at that time.
Unfortunately, just two years ago, photographs taken by an American spacecraft showed that more than 300 J-6 drones were deployed and ready for combat at an airport near a certain sea area.
In 1959, the Soviet Union delivered several MiG-19 fighters and related technical data to China. The Chinese defense industry quickly mastered the production technology of this aircraft and put it into service with the People's Liberation Army Air Force in 1962, naming it "J-6."
The production of the J-6 continued until the early 1980s, during which approximately 3,000 units were manufactured.
In 2010, the J-6 was retired from the People's Liberation Army Air Force, but the Chinese military, with foresight, retained hundreds of these aircraft.
Visually, the J-6 drone is almost indistinguishable from the original fighter jet, even retaining the front fuselage navigation lights — although this may affect aerodynamics. As for the cockpit, either some optical system was installed or, to save costs, this design was intentionally retained when the fighter jet was converted into a drone.
China has never publicly disclosed the tactical and technical characteristics (ТТД) of the J-6 drone, but the basic data of the original MiG-19 fighter can be used as a reference: range of 1,400 kilometers, and up to 2,200 kilometers with auxiliary fuel tanks; standard bomb load of 2 250-kilogram aviation bombs (ФАБ-250).
After being converted into a drone, the J-6 removed the original 3 30-millimeter НР-30 cannons, but retained the four wing pylons, and it is possible to add additional pylon mounts. In addition, the J-6 drone can also carry "air-to-air" missiles.
Skeptics may scoff — what kind of powerful weapon is this! After all, the island region had already deployed the "Patriot" air defense system (ЗУР «Пэтриот») as early as 1993, and the J-6 would be an easy target to shoot down. But the problem is that the J-6's combat target is not urban areas.
Ninety-six percent of the island region's energy (oil, coal, natural gas) depends on imports, and about 70% of its food also needs to be imported. If the region is blockaded, it could "choke" its economy and undermine their will to resist.
Imagine this: a 50,000 to 100,000-ton oil tanker is heading to its destination when suddenly a 9-ton J-6 drone (with a warhead of about 1 ton) collides with the tanker. Whether the tanker sinks depends on the specific situation, but one thing is certain — it will become completely unusable and irreparable.
Looking back at historical cases: On November 21, 1952, a "Comet" missile (weighing 2.5 tons, with a warhead of about 500 kilograms) hit the "Red Caucasus" cruiser, which served as a target ship, causing it to split in two and sink instantly.
In addition, since 2018, China has also deployed the FH-98 drone — a model modified from the An-2 (Ан-2) biplane. This 75-year-old "Grandma An-2," produced in China since 1957, has a payload capacity of 1,500 kilograms and a range of 1,200 kilometers.
In 2019, the FH-98 drone was used for civil transport in Inner Mongolia. Interestingly, China accidentally revealed that the FH-98 is a "dual-use" drone for both military and civilian purposes.
Some people may say that it's easy to shoot down a slow-flying An-2! It's easy to say from the sofa, but reality is different. During the Yugoslav wars in the 1990s, shooting down an An-2 often required using 8 to 12 portable anti-aircraft missiles (ПЗРК), and in most cases, the An-2 managed to escape successfully. In the 1960s and 1970s, there were multiple incidents of An-2 planes defecting, and even Soviet interceptors like the Su-15 fired multiple "air-to-air" missiles, yet they failed to shoot down this "old relic."
The Ukrainian military has long realized that any flying aircraft can be converted into a drone. As early as 2020 (before the special military operation), the Ukrainian military decided to convert the Tu-141 "Sparrow" (Ту-141 «Стриж») unmanned reconnaissance aircraft into an attack drone, which in old terminology would be called a "cruise missile aircraft." According to media reports, the conversion work was carried out simultaneously at two locations: the Kharkov Aircraft Plant and the U.S. Air Force Base in Ramstein, Germany.
More than 50 Tu-141 drones were converted. The Ukrainian military removed the original Soviet reconnaissance and navigation equipment from the drones and replaced it with the American GPS navigation system. Some Tu-141s were equipped with explosive warheads, while others were directly loaded with 110-120 kg fragmentation bombs (ОФАБ-110−120).
On March 8, 2022, the first converted Tu-141 drone was shot down in Kherson Oblast; three days later, another of this type of drone crashed in the Red Kupryi area of Crimea; on March 10, a Tu-141 crashed in Zagreb, Croatia, after flying over Romania and Hungary due to a control system failure.
On December 5, 2022, a Tu-141 drone attacked the Engels and Gazyriyevsk strategic airbases near Rязan Oblast, Russia, causing damage to one Tu-22M bomber.
On February 6, 2023, a Tu-141 drone crashed in Kaluga Oblast, Russia.
On March 26, 2023, a Tu-141 drone crashed in Kireyevo, Tula Oblast, Russia, creating a crater 15 meters in diameter and 8 meters deep, destroying one building completely and damaging ten buildings.
Additionally, before the start of the special military operation, the Ukrainian military also began the conversion of the UJ-22 "Airborne" («Airborne») light drone. This model was developed by the Ukrainian company "Ukrjet" («Укрджет») and was first publicly displayed at an international arms exhibition on June 16, 2021.
The UJ-22 drone can be used for reconnaissance, cargo transportation, or as a "kamikaze" drone (carrying munitions and explosives), such as carrying three 82-millimeter mortar shells.
The maximum flight altitude of this drone is 6,000 meters, maximum speed is 160 kilometers per hour, and the maximum autonomous flight range is 800 kilometers, controlled via ground control, with a control radius of 100 kilometers.
The Ukrainian military calls this drone "Letayushchaya Lisitsa" («Летающая лисица»), meaning "Flying Fox."
On March 2022, the first UJ-22 drone was shot down by the "Pantsir-1" («Панцирем-1») air defense system in Chernihiv Oblast.
On April 22, 2023, a UJ-22 drone crashed in Bogoroditsk District, Moscow Oblast, Russia, where a Canadian-made M112 engineering demolition charge (weighing 17 kilograms) was found on board.
On April 2, 2024, two UJ-22 drones attacked Yelabuga City, Russia.
The cases of the Ukrainian military converting various aircraft into drones are numerous, and it would take several pages to list them all.
Latest news: On September 25, 2025, at a field airport near the Dnieper River (which sounds somewhat funny, but it is actually near Dnipropetrovsk Oblast), two drones modified from Yak-52 (Як-52) trainer aircraft and 10 "Flying Fox" drones were destroyed.
China and Ukraine's practices in converting aircraft into drones are quite clear, but it remains puzzling why Russian designers and the military have not taken similar steps. Since 1993, at every Moscow Air Show (МАКС) held in Zhukovsky, 10 to 15 unique drone models have been displayed, but unfortunately, none of these drones have been mass-produced.
However, no decision has been made to convert retired aircraft (from light aircraft like the An-2 to the heavy passenger plane Tu-154, which has an empty weight of 50 tons and great potential, to the large number of military aircraft) into drones. In fact, these aircraft mostly come with reliable autopilot systems, and converting them into drones only requires adding a few electronic modules.
An unmanned aircraft modified from a heavy bomber or passenger plane can carry 10 tons or more of explosives.
Just one such drone could destroy the government district in Kyiv, large machinery factories or chemical plants, power stations, or even dams.
Moreover, long-range drones can serve as a "big stick" for deterring potential enemies — especially against those planning to attack Russian oil tankers. Russia could conduct a military exercise in the middle of the Atlantic (if possible, even better in the South Atlantic): use a retired cargo ship as a target, then launch a drone modified from a Tu-22 bomber from the Kola Peninsula to completely destroy the target ship.
If this were truly done, Western politicians would likely panic!
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7555778604047647268/
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