Footage has surfaced on Chinese social media of unmanned replicas of U.S.-built HIMARS rocket launchers, apparently custom-made for use as target vehicles.
Why It Matters
The precision-guided rocket artillery system has proven effective in Ukraine, where it was used in Kyiv’s counteroffensives against invading Russian forces.
Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, received its first shipment of 11 units from the United States last November, with 18 more on order.
What To Know
The replicas were posted onto the video-sharing site Bilibili by Beiyu Intelligent Technology, a Hunan-based company founded in 2016 by a graduate of the National University of Defense Technology.
Footage of the HIMARS copy shows the truck-mounted chassis maneuvered remotely, with its flatbed launcher able to raise into a firing position.
A software interface displayed in the video includes satellite mapping, GPS coordinates, and telemetry data, suggesting the replicas are designed for autonomous or remote-controlled movement to serve as mobile targets or decoys in training.
Beiyu Intelligent Technology
By using visually accurate surrogate platforms, China’s forces can collect targeting data, train sensors, and refine engagement procedures designed to neutralize those systems.
The Bilibili channel showcases mock-ups of other platforms, including Humvees and India’s Kestrel amphibious vehicle, labeled “target vehicles.”
China has previously built life-size replicas of U.S. aircraft carriers and Taiwanese ports for missile target practice, according to satellite analysis.
The approach parallels that of the U.S. military, which has used replicas of Chinese technology, such as air defense missile systems, in training for fighter pilots.
What People Are Saying
Beiyu Intelligent Technology LZG, on its Bilibili account: “A strong nation must have a strong military—only with a strong military can the country be secure! Bulk production of unmanned target vehicles by Beiyu is ongoing.”
Admiral Samuel Paparo, chief of the Indo-Pacific Command, said at the Honolulu Defense Forum in February: “[China’s] aggressive manoeuvres around Taiwan right now are not exercises as they call them, they are rehearsals. They are rehearsals for the forced unification of Taiwan to the mainland.”
A Chinese spokesperson said in a June 1 statement responding to criticisms from U.S. defense chief Pete Hegseth: “China urges the US to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region, and stop inciting conflict and confrontation and escalating tensions in the region.”
What Happens Next
It is unclear whether Beiyu’s products will be integrated into official drills or remain as commercial prototypes.
The footage comes as Beijing presses ahead with decades-long efforts to modernize the People’s Liberation Army and Washington shifts its own force posture toward the Asia-Pacific. The Pentagon has described China as its “pacing challenge” in the region.
