On August 22, 2025, footage broadcast on Chinese state television, CCTV, revealed an unprecedented training exercise of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force, as reported by X account user Jesús Román. The images showed armored infantry units of the 83rd Group Army, Central Theater Command, experimenting with unmanned ground vehicles armed with rocket launchers and remotely operated through first-person-view goggles and handheld manipulators. This development highlights Beijing’s increasing reliance on manned-unmanned teaming for high-intensity combat. Its relevance lies in the PLA’s effort to expand robotic warfare capabilities in semi-urban environments, signaling a potential shift in modern battlefield tactics.
By equipping unmanned ground platforms with rocket launchers and controlling them through FPV systems, the PLA is laying the groundwork for a new phase of combined-arms warfare where machines precede soldiers into danger (Picture source: CCTV)
The training exercise involved the integration of Type 08 (ZBL-08) infantry fighting vehicles, infantry dismounts equipped with 120 mm rocket launchers and heavy machine guns, and newly introduced unmanned ground systems mounting rocket and grenade-type weapons. In a notable addition, some drones also carried loudspeakers, suggesting potential applications in psychological operations or crowd control. The robots advanced alongside infantry and armor, providing suppressive fire against fortified positions in the simulated semi-urban battlefield.
The unmanned systems used during the drills were remotely piloted with FPV goggles and handheld controllers, replicating methods widely adopted in small aerial drones. This allowed operators to maneuver the vehicles from secure positions while retaining real-time situational awareness. Development of such systems has followed the PLA’s broader trajectory of robotics integration, moving from reconnaissance drones to more heavily armed platforms capable of supporting mechanized infantry.
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