China's latest weapon of war is an armed robot dog

• China has unveiled robot dogs equipped with machine guns that could replace soldiers.
• Robots can cross obstacles and shoot targets.
• The move aligns with China's increasing military budget and the global transition to robotic warfare.

China has showcased robot dogs capable of firing machine guns in the latest display of its military prowess.

The remote-controlled robots were unveiled during a military training exercise led by China and Cambodia earlier this month.

According to a video shared by state broadcaster CCTV, the battery-powered robot dogs can operate independently for between two and four hours and are able to move forward and backward, lie down and jump.

They can also plan routes, approach targets and avoid obstacles, the video shows. One of the robots shown in the video was equipped with a gun to shoot at targets, according to CCTV.

Chen Wei, a Chinese soldier, told CCTV that robot dogs “will serve as new members in urban combat operations” and can replace the role of human soldiers in identifying and striking targets.

The robot dogs appear to have been supplied by Chinese manufacturer Unitree, Axios reported. The robot dogs featured on Unitree's website cost between $2,800 and $100,000.

This is not the first time that China has introduced an armed robot dog. In 2022, Business Insider reported that China had developed a robot dog that had a machine gun and could be deployed via drone.

This is just the latest sign of China's growing military capabilities.

The Chinese military recently undertook two-day large-scale exercises around Taiwan. As BI previously reported, the exercises were used to test China's ability to carry out an attack.

Speaking at a political meeting in Taiwan in February, Wang Huning, fourth leader of the Chinese Communist Party, said China plans to “resolutely fight” any signs of Taiwan independence in 2024, Reuters reported.

This comes after China's military spending for this year was estimated at 1.67 trillion yuan, or $231 billion – the biggest increase in five years, Bloomberg reported in March.

Intelligent machines are becoming more and more common in militaries around the world.

“Living fighters will gradually begin to be replaced by their robotic 'brothers', capable of acting faster, more accurately and more selectively than humans,” said Vitaly Davydov, deputy director of the Russian Foundation for advanced search, in an interview with RIA cited by Forbes. in April 2020.

Meanwhile, the US military uses “unarmed” robots supplied by Boston Dynamics. According to its website, the company specializes in robots that can remotely inspect hazardous environments, carry out rescue missions and carry out other logistical operations.

China's Ministry of National Defense and Unitree did not immediately respond to a request for comment.