NEW DELHI: In a major growth in Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, weight fighters who had previously relied on a sporadic ships of modified Chinese-made commercial drones to combat the country’s feared war are now finding their common weapons in the hands of the ruling junta.
According to seven people with knowledge of the matter, the rebels have encountered the junta’s use of armed unmanned aerial vehicles ( UAVs ) in recent months, marking a shift in the conflict’s dynamics.
” The war is changing today as drones are being used by both sides”, said a 31- yr- old insurgent fighter in the country’s southeast, identifying himself by the nom de guerre of Ta Yoke Gyi.
He and other insurgent fighters cited situations where the junta used modified Chinese-made drones to launch attacks on rebel positions and bring explosives. These attacks have caused some weight soldiers to suffer injuries, which highlights how adeptly the junta is at using UAVs.
The coup began purchasing thousands of Chinese industrial Aircraft at the start of the year, according to Min Zaw Oo, senior director of the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security think tank, and modified them to take locally produced weapons. Regime leader Min Aung Hlaing acknowledged last year that rebels had dropped over 25, 000 bombs using drones during a major offensive on military posts in October despite the junta’s decision to address its recent use of UAVs.
Resistance members claim that the military is currently using multi-rotor commercial drones, including those designed for agriculture, in its most recent sorties despite the junta’s purchase of armed CH-3 UAVs from China in the year 2013. The military has not yet deployed all of its newly purchased aircraft, despite the limited number of junta drones that were observed on the frontline.
According to analysts and rebel fighters, the resistance appears to have lost its initial advantage of being the primary fighting force using drones as the civil war progresses. Conscription is a welcome addition for demoralized military forces that rely on conscription to replenish shrinking frontline battalions. The junta’s expanding UAV attack fleet is a welcome development. It is expected that the military will maintain a defensive posture while using drones to attack opposition positions as it retrains and refits.
( With inputs from agencies )
