The People's Liberation Army's Approach to Manned-Unmanned Teaming

Shanshan Mei

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As the Department of the Air Force (DAF) accelerates its testing of manned-unmanned teaming (MUM-T) concepts and further integrates the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program into operations against highly capable adversaries, it is critical for U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and DAF planners, strategists, and analysts to better understand Chinese perspectives and similar lines of effort to integrate autonomous systems into air operations. Additionally, understanding China's approach to MUM-T can help the DAF anticipate and counter adversarial tactics, ensuring that U.S. forces maintain a strategic advantage in the foreseeable future.

The analysis presented in this report is intended to improve the DAF's understanding of the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) perceptions regarding MUM-T and the PLA's efforts to integrate autonomous systems into air operations. These insights into China's MUM-T capabilities can inform the DAF's operational planning, enhance interoperability with allied forces, and guide investment in relevant technologies.

Key Findings

The PLA assesses that MUM-T will be a defining feature of future combat activities involving intelligent systems and is in the nascent stages of developing operational concepts to integrate MUM-T into its existing doctrine.

Since 2015, the PLA has monitored developments in U.S. MUM-T concepts and technologies to identify U.S. vulnerabilities and develop countermeasures.

As of early 2025, the PLA appears to be taking a different approach to MUM-T than the U.S. Air Force, focusing more on enhancing software and algorithms to enable unmanned systems to support and augment manned platforms. While both militaries prioritize cost-effective CCA-type capabilities, the PLA emphasizes augmentation over advanced teaming, which demands greater autonomy for unmanned systems.

The PLA is in the nascent stages of developing operational concepts to integrate MUM-T.

PLA writings emphasize the importance of reinforcing the wartime party committee's role under manned-unmanned collaborative combat conditions. Finding the right balance between autonomation and political control likely will remain a challenge in the near future.