Manned/unmanned teaming techniques and swarm tactics are an increasingly visible aspect of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) military modernization effort, with even the slightest hints of operationalization within the PLA’s various arms attracting considerable Western media attention. Indeed, the PLA and its research, development, and acquisition (RDA) apparatus are keen to adopt these advanced techniques and technologies as part of efforts to transform the PLA from “a human-centric fighting force with unmanned systems in support, to a force centered on unmanned systems with humans in support” (“有人为主、无人为辅” 向 “无人为主、有人为辅”).1 But a review of publicly available sources ranging from authoritative PLA texts to unofficial blogs suggests that the PLA’s thinking on manned/unmanned teaming and swarm tactics is still evolving and its development, adoption, and deployment of these tactics and technologies remains uneven or even unverified in practice.
This paper describes how the PLA is approaching the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) swarms and manned/unmanned teaming (MUM-T) in three main parts. The first surveys several strategic documents informing the PLA’s development of swarm tactics and MUM-T techniques, including force modernization priorities and dilemmas surrounding autonomy and command and control. Next, the paper describes the PLA’s efforts to operationalize swarm tactics and MUM-T techniques, highlighting both the operations research and technical work that PLA researchers and China’s defense-industrial base are undertaking to harness these techniques and precipitate transformation of PLA airpower. Finally, the paper concludes by summarizing the variety of challenges articulated by PLA researchers regarding the successful use of swarm tactics and MUM-T techniques in a conflict and assesses several prospects and trajectories for the PLA’s future use of swarms and MUM-T techniques in future combat.
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