An unidentified Chinese firm has displayed its unusually large flying-wing kamikaze UAV with two gasoline engines. According to Chinese sources, the PD-2900's large wing area, thanks to its configuration and two gasoline engines, provides a range of 2500 km and an endurance of 12 hours. Compared to other long-range kamikaze UAVs like Harop and Shaheed-136, the PD-2900 is significantly larger. Much like its smaller counterparts, the kamikaze UAV is launched with a jettisonable rocket called RATO.
Previously, in 2023, Der Spiegel reported that China and Russia were in talks for kamikaze UAV models similar to Shaheed-136/Geran-2 regarding range and payload figures. While there has been no information regarding Russian interest in PD-2900, it isn't out of the question, given the long-range, likely higher payload capacity and the relations between the two countries.
Large-sized kamikaze UAVs have become a cheap alternative to cruise missiles thanks to the availability of most of the components or platforms on even the civilian market. In the Russo-Ukrainian War, both sides favoured these munitions against fixed targets that were too far away for artillery but too low-end for something as expensive as a cruise missile.
