Rumors Of War: China's Drone Swarm Surge Amid Taiwan Invasion Fears

China’s Drone Swarm Surge Sparks U.S. ‘Hellscape’ Defense Strategy Amid Taiwan Invasion Fears

Emmitt Barry

China’s PLA is advancing drone swarm warfare for strikes and surveillance, outpacing manned-unmanned integration, a U.S. Air Force report says. As tensions rise in the Taiwan Strait, Admiral Paparo warns China’s buildup is a “rehearsal” for invasion. In response, the U.S. plans a “hellscape” of drones, while Taiwan boosts its drone production and arms purchases.

The People’s Liberation Army is advancing its use of drone swarms for both precision strikes and battlefield intelligence, according to a report from a U.S. Air Force think tank.

China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is rapidly advancing in drone swarm warfare, outpacing its development of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T), according to recent defense assessments. Swarm tactics—leveraging large numbers of coordinated UAVs—are more mature and closer to real-world deployment, especially for reconnaissance and precision strikes.

The PLA has already tested swarm operations in military exercises, drawing on lessons from global conflicts in Ukraine, Syria, and Israel. Analysts highlight the tactical advantages of using a swarm, including stealth, speed, and overwhelming force.

Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told the Senate Armed Services Committee last week that China’s intensified military activity near Taiwan appears to be a “rehearsal” for invasion, warning that “military pressure against Taiwan [has] increased by 300 percent” in 2024 alone.

“China’s increasingly aggressive actions near Taiwan are not just exercises, they are rehearsals,” Paparo testified, citing “unprecedented aggression and military modernization.”

Earlier this month, China conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan involving naval, air, ground, and rocket forces, including an aircraft carrier group. The PLA’s Eastern Theater Command said the exercises were a “severe warning and forceful containment against Taiwan independence.”

Paparo revealed a defense strategy to deploy “thousands” of low-cost aerial and underwater drones to delay a potential Chinese assault, calling it a “hellscape” strategy designed to buy time until U.S. forces can reinforce the region.

In response, Taiwan is accelerating efforts to build self-sufficient drone supply chains and boost U.S. arms orders to counter China’s military advantage, a defense official told the Taipei Times.

The official, speaking anonymously, said Taiwan’s forces share U.S. Admiral Samuel Paparo’s view that the island must be ready to turn its waters into a “hellscape” for China’s People’s Liberation Army.