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Chinese engineers have crafted the world's first high-speed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drones powered by jet engines in a breakthrough that could change the future of naval warfare. The drones were reportedly developed over a 10-year period by associate professors at Beihang University in Beijing, Wang Yaokun and Qiu Yuting. Existing drones, which are used for firing weapons, delivering goods, mapping and large-scale surveillance operations, require long runways for landing or taking off.

Their new jet-powered and vertical lifting equivalents are reportedly quicker and more capable, however, with engineers at Beihang, one of the Chinese research institutes targeted by US sanctions, heralding their ability to "potentially transform every Chinese destroyer, frigate or amphibious vessel into a mini aircraft carrier". A defence expert told the South China Morning Post: "This turns every major surface combatant into a forward-operating base. The enemy can't predict where the next strike will come from."

The decade-long project has produced a piece of equipment that is capable of "lifting off and landing vertically under extreme conditions", the researchers said.

It includes compact rotors mounted at the bottom to provide lift during take-off and a miniature turbojet engine powering high-speed cruise, the Post reports.

The developers even ensured the drone composites necessary for construction could be mass-produced with existing materials at a low cost, while retaining thermal shielding of temperatures exceeding 700C without "structural compromise".

Publicly available information on the university's website suggests the project underwent extensive testing before the final configuration was reached in 2019.

It also suggests that the new VTOL models were developed in response to the Chinese navy's desire for aircraft to carry "non-carrier vessels" - specifically, "multi-drone coordination, high-speed reconnaissance and vertical take-off and landing from destroyer decks".

The unnamed defence expert said, if deployed at scale, the Chinese navy could strike high-speed long-range reconnaissance and fight drones from "virtually any vessel".

It comes as Taiwan - facing the threat of Chinese invasion - is also increasing its naval drone capability, including armed naval drones (USV), similar to models used successfully by Ukrainian forces in its fight against Russia in the Black Sea.

China has long regarded Taiwan, an island nation with a population of around 23 million, as part of its territory and President Xi Jinping has repeatedly pledged to "reunify" it with its neighbour across the Taiwan strait.

While Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te has expressed hopes that his country could become an "Asian hub" for drone technology and manufacturing, he may find himself in a race against time.

Philip Davidson, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command has estimated that China's People Liberation Army (PLA) will be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027, and both US Secretary of State Pete Hegseth and Deputy Foreign Minister of Taiwan François Chih-chung Wu have sounded similar warnings.