Top US rivals test high-tech military drones, robots, new warfare tactics to boost battlefield power

China has deployed troops alongside Russian forces for a large multinational military exercise that Moscow says incorporates lessons from the war in Ukraine, including the growing role of drones, electronic warfare and unmanned ground systems. The Centre-2026 exercise brought together more than 47,000 personnel in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, with forces from several Shanghai Cooperation Organisation countries participating in the drills. The drills give China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) an opportunity to train alongside Russian forces with extensive recent battlefield experience, while allowing both militaries to test their ability to coordinate large formations, unmanned systems and precision weapons in a multinational environment. Chinese, Russian troops train together The PLA contingent traveled to Russia by road, rail and air and participated in the preparatory phase alongside forces from Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia and Tajikistan. Chinese troops conducted reconnaissance and targeting exercises, obstacle breaching, coordinated attacks and battlefield medical drills before the exercise moved into its main operational phase, the South China Morning Post reported. The live-fire portion included command-and-control exercises followed by several operational stages involving multidimensional reconnaissance, integrated information and firepower strikes, target guidance, attacks from multiple directions and rapid pursuit operations. For Beijing, the exercise also provides an opportunity to test the logistical challenges of moving troops and equipment into unfamiliar territory while practicing combined-arms operations with foreign militaries. Russian media also reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin observed the drills at the Chebarkul Training Ground on Friday and met foreign military attaches. Drones and ground robots take center stage One of the most notable elements of the drill was the integration of crewed and uncrewed systems. Chinese media reported that PLA forces deployed Type 99A main battle tanks alongside drones, uncrewed ground vehicles and helicopters. Drone swarms were used to provide targeting information to ground units, while tactical UAVs, armed helicopters and unmanned ground vehicles coordinated attacks against simulated targets. The exercise also featured multiple waves of attacks against defensive positions using what Chinese military media described as a “small-group, multi-waves” approach. Russian media highlighted an even broader collection of technologies, including mass drone deployments, counter-drone systems, electronic warfare, precision weapons and mobile assault units. Systems mentioned included Geran-4/5 drones, Zarya laser systems and the Izdeliye 347 missile system. Chinese media also reported that participating forces were stationed underground during the exercise to protect them from drone attacks, illustrating how persistent aerial surveillance and strike drones are changing battlefield operations. Centre-2026 is the latest in a series of increasingly regular military activities between China and Russia. The two countries conducted their 11th joint strategic air patrol over the Sea of Japan in June. Their navies then carried out a joint maritime patrol in the Pacific in July, with both operations presented as efforts to improve interoperability and joint operational capabilities. Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Bojan Stojkovski is a freelance journalist based in Skopje, North Macedonia, covering foreign policy and technology for more than a decade. His work has appeared in Foreign Policy, ZDNet, and Nature.