Chinese Weapons Scientist Points to Ukraine's DIY Drone Bombs for Battlefield Inspiration

Norinco’s chief scientist has detailed how Ukrainian forces are turning hand grenades and even badminton shuttlecocks into effective drone-dropped munitions, suggesting China could draw direct inspiration for its own arsenal. Cai Yi, a leading weapons expert for the state-owned defense giant, highlighted the “valuable example” of Ukraine’s improvised micro bombs in a recent interview.

In the grinding battlefields of Ukraine, a stark innovation has emerged: cheap commercial drones dropping even cheaper, cobbled-together bombs. Now, a top Chinese weapons scientist is saying his country should take notes. Cai Yi, chief scientist of China North Industries Group Corporation (Norinco), has publicly dissected Ukraine’s use of drone-borne micro bombs, framing it as a crucial case study for modern warfare. His analysis, published in the military magazine Modern Weapons and reported by the South China Morning Post, provides a rare glimpse into how China’s military-industrial complex is studying the conflict.

“Ukraine’s experience provides a valuable example for observing drone warfare,” Cai Yi stated in the interview. He explained that while manned aircraft handle large munitions, the explosion of small drones has created a demand for a new class of weaponry. Cai proposed a clear classification: “small” bombs weighing between 10-100kg and “micro” bombs under 10kg.

The real fascination lies in the Ukrainian approach to creating these micro bombs. Cai detailed ingeniously simple modifications, like converting an RGD-5 hand grenade into an aerial bomb by using a badminton shuttlecock as a fixed tail fin for stability. Another, the RKG-1600, is based on an older anti-tank grenade. These DIY projects, often assembled with duct tape and everyday items, have been filmed successfully striking the vulnerable roofs of Russian tanks. “If these improvised incendiary bombs can be dropped on a tank, they have a high probability of igniting the fuel and burning the tank,” Cai noted.

But it’s not just about grenades. Ukrainian troops have also modified PG-7V armour-piercing rockets into aerial bombs, which Cai believes can penetrate any tank’s top armor. This shift represents a fundamental change, moving precise firepower from centralized air forces to decentralized infantry units. The South China Morning Post reported that Cai sees these adaptations as facilitating “human-machine integration,” making it easier for drone operators to understand and predict the bombs’ flight patterns.

So, what’s the lesson for China? According to Cai, the path forward involves standardization and modular kits. He suggested China could “design a series of modular small and micro-sized aerial bombs” and even “develop aerial bomb modification kits and simple guidance kits, so that soldiers can easily convert ammunition into simple aerial bombs on the battlefield.” This would formalize the ad-hoc creativity seen in Ukraine, potentially giving People’s Liberation Army units scalable, off-the-shelf options for drone warfare.

The context for this study is significant. Norinco is China’s premier land systems manufacturer and a major People’s Liberation Army supplier. Its scientists actively analyzing battlefield trophies from Ukraine signals a focused effort to adapt to the new realities of peer conflict. This comes as Ukrainian officials have claimed drones are responsible for a staggering proportion of battlefield losses. The clear takeaway is that China views the Ukraine war not just as a distant conflict, but as a live-fire laboratory, with its military experts meticulously cataloging which cheap, innovative tactics can defeat multi-million-dollar platforms.