IDEX 2025: China attacks the loitering munition market
According to signage displayed at IDEX, the Sunflower 200 has been fitted with a SHILIAN International INS170 internal navigation system. (Photo: author)
At IDEX 2025, held in Abu Dhabi this week, an array of Chinese attack UAVs, primarily loitering munitions, have been on display.
The popularity and usage of loitering munitions and attack UAVs has expanded over the past few years, with the effectiveness of the capability having been highlighted in the Russo-Ukrainian War and Nagorno-Karabakh.
In line with this, China is displaying various systems at IDEX. COBTec has the Sunflower 200 on display, a loitering munition that appears visually similar to Iran’s Shahed-136, which has seen extensive use in the first of the previously mentioned conflicts.
First displayed at the Armiya-2023 forum in Russia, the drone appears to have gone through various developments since Shephard reported on it at that time.
Since 2023, the drone appears to
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