Caption:Satellite-guided shells could quietly become the most disruptivemilitary innovation of the decade
In an era where drones dominate headlines and hypersonic missiles capturepublic imagination, China may be developing something far moretransformative — and far less discussed. Reports suggest that the People’sLiberation Army (PLA) is experimenting with 152mm and 155mm artilleryshells fitted with satellite guidance kits and foldable wings, effectivelyturning old-fashioned artillery rounds into low-cost, high-precision guidedmunitions.
This innovation might not sound as glamorous as a stealth fighter orhypersonic weapon, but it could reshape modern warfare in a way fewappreciate. The genius lies in its simplicity — and scalability.From Dumb Shells to Smart Swarms
Traditionally, artillery is the backbone of ground warfare: powerful,reliable, and cheap, but notoriously imprecise. Precision artillery — likethe U.S. Excalibur round — exists, but it’s expensive and produced inlimited numbers.
China’s potential breakthrough lies in industrial adaptability. Byequipping its massive stockpiles of conventional shells with inexpensivesatellite guidance modules and folding fins, the PLA could mass-produceguided munitions at a fraction of the cost of Western equivalents.
Now imagine pairing these with the tens of thousands of drones China isalready known to operate. Drones could fly low, bypass defenses, and dropthese smart shells over enemy territory — each acting as a miniatureprecision bomb. Instead of expending a $100,000 missile, a drone coulddeliver a converted artillery shell costing a fraction of that, withcomparableaccuracy and far greater availability.The Power of Scale
This development plays to China’s greatest strength: industrial scale.While the U.S. and its allies struggle to meet ammunition demands in modernconflicts, China’s manufacturing base gives it the ability to churn outguided munitions by the tens of thousands.
Warfare, at its core, is a contest of logistics and production. Precisionmatters, but so does quantity — and when both converge, the balanceshifts dramatically. With smart-guided artillery and drones acting asairborne artillerymen, China could deploy an unstoppable blend ofprecision and mass, saturating targets with affordable, accurate firepower.The Next Evolution in Warfare
If this system becomes operational, it represents a new paradigm inbattlefield strategy — where every artillery shell is a potential precisionstrike, and every drone is a delivery vehicle.
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It’s a concept that sidesteps the limitations of expensive missiles or slowlogistics. Instead, it leverages the synergy between low-cost munitions,smart guidance, and swarm tactics — a formula that could overwhelm eventechnologically superior forces through sheer numerical pressure andoperational agility.
The West, for its part, may not yet have fully grasped the implications.The focus remains on high-end platforms and advanced missile systems, whileChina appears to be democratizing precision warfare, making “smartfirepower” available at mass-production scale.A Quiet Revolution
This isn’t about flashy demonstrations or public announcements — it’s aboutsubtle, systemic transformation. Turning surplus artillery rounds intoguided weapons doesn’t make headlines, but it changes the economics of war.
In the end, the future battlefield may not be defined by hypersonicmissiles or AI superweapons — but by millions of guided shells, droppedfrom drones, guided by satellites, and built by the world’s largestindustrial power.
A quiet revolution may already be underway, one that could rendertraditional warfare models obsolete — not through technology alone, butthrough industrial efficiency married to tactical innovation.
By: Qaiser Bashir Makhdoom
Writer is former DIG Police GB and Director FIA