China has deployed machinegun-carrying robots in its desert areas amid tension with India. This is because Indian troops are having difficulty with high altitude conditions.
Indian media report that unmanned vehicles carrying weapons and supplies have been sent in large numbers to Tibet. Most of them are located near border zones where Indian troops are fighting with Chinese troops.
The Sharp Claw is a vehicle that is equipped with a light machinegun, can be controlled wirelessly and is able to be used as a supply vehicle, but it can also carry weapons.
China claims that it has sent dozens of Sharp Claw-equipped fighting vehicles, equipped with machine guns, to the border area with India.
China has sent Mule200 transport vehicles from Beijing to the region, following difficulties by Chinese troops in operating at high altitudes.
Times News Now reports that Beijing has sent 88 Sharp Claws from Beijing to Tibet. Tibet borders India in the Himalayas. 38 of these are being deployed to Tibet’s border area.
News Now also reports that around 120 Mule 200s have been dispatched to Tibet. The majority are being deployed to the border.
China is also adding 70 VP-22-armored troop transports to its army, of which 47 are situated in border areas.
Additional 150 Lynx all terrain vehicles were also sent to the border.
Lynx can transport small groups of troops, or be mounted with different weapon systems, such as howitzers and heavy machine guns.
Beijing ordered the deployment of these vehicles following reports by state media that soldiers were fitted with exoskeleton suit to aid them in carrying heavy supplies at high altitudes.
Carbon-fibre exoskeletons were made for soldiers to alleviate the pressure on their feet and ankles as they carried heavy equipment 16,000 feet higher than sea level.
Because of the lack oxygen at high altitude, loads are heavier and soldiers tire faster.
A military expert said that this type of suit was particularly effective at high altitudes in December 2012 to the Global Times.
For decades, India and China have been at war in the border area along what’s known as “the line of control”.
China and India have had a long-running conflict over India’s Himalayan border. However, tensions rose last year as a result of dozens of deaths in a series clashes.
Although the border area is remote and inhospitable, it has symbolic value for both sides.
Although the region is remote, inhospitable and extremely dry, it has limited practical utility beyond its few trading routes. But, for sides that are eager to show dominance, it can hold symbolic value.
Tensions rose in 2020 when hand-to-hand fighting brokeout between Indian and Chinese troops. Hundreds were killed in skirmishes with melee weapons, including nail-studded club nails.
China claimed India provoked its troops. India, however, accused Beijing of trying to redraw its border and invading its territory.
Satellite imagery seemed to support India’s claims and showed new Chinese constructions within the disputed regions.
There was a diplomatic battle between Delhi and Beijing over the clashes, and India ended some trade relations and banned Chinese phones apps.
China started dismantling structures within disputed areas in June 2013. This helped to ease tensions. However, the region is still on alert for any further conflicts.
This is against the background of China’s larger military buildup, which has led to China becoming more belligerent with its neighbors, particularly Taiwan.
America, a strong ally of Taiwan’s government has been urged to form new alliances in the area with India as a counterbalance to Beijing’s rising strength.
Australia and Japan have increased their military relations with Washington in fear of being dragged into conflicts elsewhere.