By Jake Vartanian, US Army War College Analyst
In late January 2025, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Army units in the Xinjiang Military District began testing new manned and unmanned equipment to facilitate resupply tasks in Xinjiang’s high-elevation plateau region. Such equipment included exoskeletons, robot dogs, close/short-range UASs, and an all-terrain military cart. During the test, transport trucks tasked with delivering supplies to forward deployed units were hindered by a damaged road. Soldiers quickly dismounted and proceeded to deliver the prescribed materials using the new equipment.
The PLA pairing humans with unmanned platforms to accomplish logistics tasks such as forward resupply is not a novel operational concept. PLA Air Force Airborne Corps and PLA Army combined arms brigades have experimented with small vertical take-off and landing UAVs for critical supply delivery in austere environments. However, the most recent testing in the Xinjiang Military District marks an advancement in the PLA’s ability to harness a wider range of technology to overcome logistical challenges and signifies the PLA Army’s commitment toward fielding all-domain systems to meet future operational requirements.
The latest equipment testing will provide tactical ground forces with all-domain logistics support options in wartime, where the austerity of the operational environment precludes traditional means of forward resupply. This concept was reinforced during the “All-Domain Joint Logistics” (全域支援-2024) competition held in August 2024, where unmanned ground and aerial vehicles participated in the material delivery and medical evacuation in challenging terrain. During the event, PLA Army General and Director of the Joint Logistics Support Force’s Combat Service Department (战勤部), Li Shiwu, underlined the growing significance of autonomous systems to overcome logistical challenges in future, complex operational environments.
Figure 1: All-Domain Joint Logistics Support 2024
New Equipment Specifications
Chinese defense manufacturers are largely reticent concerning the specifications of the five systems tested. However, according to CCTV coverage of the test, the tracked UGVs, exoskeletons, and UAS were useful in transporting heavy loads of materials like ammunition crates, while robot dogs were able to reliably haul lighter boxes of provisions. During previous CCTV coverage of exoskeletons in their early development, outfitted soldiers were documented carrying ammunition crates totaling around 175 pounds with ease. Close-range UAVs like the PLA’s Tomahawk UAV introduced in 2020, has a payload capacity of approximately 55 pounds and endurance of one hour. Short-range UAVs like the Loong5 introduced and observed in the 2024 All-domain Logistics Support Competition, has a payload capacity of 44 pounds and endurance of 3 hours. Lastly, the all-terrain military cart has been designated the “spring-assisted cart” (弹簧助力手推车) in PLA media. Unlike the US Army’s “Silent Tactical Energy Enhanced Dismount,” it is not electric-powered, though similarly reduces physical exertion on human operators while mitigating unit signatures to avoid detection.
Figure 2: Soldiers Moving with Exoskeletons
Figure 3: Close-range UAV Delivering Supplies
Figure 4: Robot Dog and Spring-assisted Cart
Equipment Significance in the Plateau Region and Beyond
The geography in China’s western fringes along its border with India, like the disputed Aksai Chin region, is characterized by steep and rugged terrain with narrow corridors that limits or denies the large-scale movement of personnel and equipment. For this reason, China has likely prioritized the research, development, and acquisition of unmanned platforms to enable the mobility and support of dismounted soldiers. This prioritization is evident with the recent testing of exoskeletons, autonomous systems, and all-terrain military carts that enable individual soldiers to carry significantly larger loads along difficult terrain that is inaccessible by larger utility vehicles.
In a notional Sino-India conflict, due to the complex terrain, PLA ground units will be positioned along narrow frontages with limited supplies and equipment. The introduction and increasing technology readiness levels of autonomous systems to include exoskeletons will enable those units to expand their operational reach into contested areas along the Line of Actual Control. Such implications can also be extended to jungle and urban environments where the PLA is likely to conduct future operations. The terrain of such environments poses significant logistical constraints on operational units where the risk of early culmination is high. Leveraging small autonomous systems and other man-portable equipment for the timely delivery of supplies will ultimately mitigate such risk.
Looking Ahead: PLA Adaptation to the Changing Character of Warfare
The PLA’s National University of Defense Technology emphasizes adapting to trends in warfare through flexibility, agility, and the use of advanced technologies to create a more effective and resilient military force (Deng Kebo, 2022). Conceptually, the PLA aims to gain an advantage in both the physical and virtual domains through “multi-domain coordination and cross-domain integration.” This emerging operational concept has been coined “all-domain operations,” and largely mirrors the US Army’s concept of multi-domain operations. According to PLA media, as technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, the complexity of logistics support requires all-domain and multi-dimensional coordination. Intelligent logistics systems must adapt autonomously, integrate various forces, and leverage advanced technologies like machine learning and autonomous systems to optimize decision-making and support. This calls for the creation of intelligent logistics concepts. At present, the PLA’s “All-domain Logistics Support” concept favors teaming humans with unmanned systems across domains to meet tactical and operational logistics requirements in war. Looking ahead, the PLA will continue to implement high-tech solutions for logistics support through a greater proliferation of small manned and unmanned systems across domains, thus further realizing its goal of all-domain operations.
Jake Vartanian is a military analyst at the US Army War College China Landpower Studies Center. His primary research topics include People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Army operational and tactical capabilities, PLA joint operations, and Chinese strategic landpower.
