US EditionChina Shows Single Soldier Controlling 200-Drone Swarm with AI
The PLA's AI-enabled drone swarm can switch roles autonomously and is designed to improve resistance to jamming, increasing operational efficiency with just one operator.
- Published: 6:00pm, 23 Jan 2026, the People's Liberation Army announced a single soldier can control a swarm of 200 drones, with CCTV footage showing a single operator managing the salvo.
- The PLA described the change as a shift from per-drone piloting to effect-based control, presenting the swarm as increasing saturation and jamming resistance while altering battlefield economics with mass-produced inexpensive drones.
- Technical briefings showed algorithms enabling task division and formation flying, with researchers saying extensive offline training with simulators and actual flights built collective autonomy for the swarm.
- Analysts warn defenders could face interceptor depletion and reprioritised spending as mass-produced drones enable saturation attacks, so electronic warfare and layered anti-drone systems remain essential countermeasures.
- Field reports and trials underscore both promise and limits of current countermeasures as directed-energy weapons neutralize drones but depend on optics and atmosphere, while high-power microwave guns face humidity and friend-or-foe discrimination issues.
13 Articles
13 Articles
AI Takes Flight: Chinese Military's Advances in Drone Swarm Warfare
The Chinese military has advanced in drone swarm warfare, allowing one soldier to control 200 drones using AI. The PLA's tests showcased autonomous drone capabilities for reconnaissance and strikes. The swarm's intelligence allows precise task division and operation under electromagnetic interference.
Times of India
China's PLA says single soldier can control swarm of 200 AI-powered UAVs
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has released fresh details of its tests of AI-enabled drone swarm warfare, saying a single soldier can control a swarm of more than 200 drones.
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has given the world a glimpse into a future that was once considered science fiction: a single soldier capable of simultaneously controlling a swarm of more than 200 drones. The dramatic demonstration, broadcast on Chinese state television (CCTV), revealed a technological breakthrough based on artificial intelligence that enables the mass launch of hundreds of aircraft in an extremely short period of ti…
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