Why the growing network of American MQ-9 drones is a challenge for China

America’s increasing use of MQ-9 drones near China poses a challenge to Beijing and makes it more urgent for the People’s Liberation Army to improve counter-reconnaissance, according to military experts.The MQ-9 Reaper can carry out both reconnaissance and strike missions.It has been used for numerous high-profile operations, including the 2020 assassination of Iranian major general Qassem Soleimani. And it has been deployed as part of the US military’s surveillance network in the Indo-Pacific.For China, the drone’s biggest threat is its high maximum altitude of up to 15,240 metres (50,000 feet), its long endurance and stealth capabilities, according to an analysis by Chinese military tech magazine Ordnance Industry Science Technology.“This means the US military can deploy MQ-9s far from mainland China and gradually penetrate Chinese airspace or operate near its periphery to conduct reconnaissance and target designation missions,” the magazine said.In January, a variant of the Reaper – the MQ-9B SeaGuardian – was equipped with a system to dispense sonobuoys that doubles the number it can carry, according to its manufacturer, General Atomics. The sonar devices are dropped from aircraft or ships and used to track submarines.