An armed reconnaissance land robot at the 7th China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology Expo in Beijing on July 5, 2021. Photo: Liu Xuanzun/GT

China introduced some of its latest achievements in military intelligent technology by displaying advanced land, sea and air combat robots at an expo in Beijing on Monday, showing the Chinese arms industry's fast development to meet the demands of future warfare, analysts said.

Organized by the Chinese Institute of Command and Control, the 9th China Conference on Command and Control and the 7th China Military Intelligent Technology Expo kicked off in Beijing on Monday and will last until Wednesday.

The event aims to accelerate the Chinese military's intelligentization development, enhancing its joint and all-field combat capability based on a system of network and information and boosting its integrated development of mechanization, informatization and intelligentization, the institute told the Global Times at the event.

Developed by Beijing North Vehicle Group Corporation under the state-owned China North Industries Group Corporation, the Pathbreaker unmanned ground vehicle weighs 1.2 tons, runs at a top speed of 30 kilometers an hour with caterpillar tracks, and is equipped with an armed reconnaissance system which allows it to conduct reconnaissance, fire assault, patrol, search and destroy operations, as well as strike guidance in complicated terrain at high mobility.

It can be remotely controlled, or automatically follow combat personnel and independently avoid obstacles, an employee at the booth told the Global Times, noting that more advanced types of land robots similar to the Pathbreaker are being developed and will hopefully join the Chinese military service in the future.

A shark-shaped underwater robot at the 7th China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology Expo in Beijing on July 5, 2021. Photo: Liu Xuanzun/GT

Dubbed the Robo-Shark, the underwater robot that looks just like a small shark independently developed by Beijing-based Boya Gongdao Robot Technology features low noise, long endurance, fast speed and high flexibility.

Replacing the traditional propeller, the Robo-Shark's power source is the bionic tailfin, which can give it a top speed of six knots.

The sea robot can conduct underwater close-in reconnaissance, search and rescue, battlefield surveillance, anti-submarine, hydrological survey, communications relay and underwater tracking missions, the Global Times learned.

The Robo-Shark is currently on a project with the military based on the latter's needs, according to the company at the expo.

Different types of drones at the 7th China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology Expo in Beijing on July 5, 2021. Photo: Liu Xuanzun/GT

Beijing Aerospace Zhongfei Technology brought different drones to the expo, including target drones that are not only used in training exercises but also in real combat as decoys, and vertical takeoff and landing drones for reconnaissance and patrol missions.

Digital systems used to command and control the combat units were also on display.