Russia's defense cooperation with China extends far beyond imports of dual-use goods, with evidence pointing to sharing drone design technology, providing testing services, and joint research, according to a new report from U.S. think tank C4ADS.
The report adds to earlier findings by the Kyiv Independent regarding China's military collaboration with Russia throughout the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
C4ADS, a Washington-based nonprofit that investigates security threats, released a report in October that maps lesser-known layers of cooperation between the two countries' defense industries, drawing on Russian trade records, corporate filings, leaked documents, and academic papers.
The investigation found that Russian designs for rocket-launched drones likely helped shape weapons China unveiled in 2025 and that Russian wind tunnels kept testing aircraft models for China's top arms maker after the invasion of Ukraine.
The report also documents how researchers from the two countries are jointly developing algorithms that could underpin combat drone swarms. Moreover, it shows that some suppliers to Russia's defense industry are moving production to China.
Beyond China’s well-documented supplies of components, raw materials and machine tools to the Russian defense industry, and Russia's recently revealed sales of airborne combat vehicles and munitions to China, the two industries increasingly work together further upstream, sharing designs, testing services and research.
Joint drone development
A notable example involves the Science and Production Association SPLAV, Russia's leading maker of multiple-launch rocket systems (MLRS). SPLAV is subject to multiple international sanctions and export controls.
Trade records show SPLAV sent Chinese arms giant Norinco technical documents for a "reconnaissance rocket" in 2014–2015, and apparently again in April 2022, less than two months after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The rocket is most likely SPLAV's 9M534, which releases a reconnaissance drone in mid-flight.
In March 2025, China unveiled the Feilong 60A, a loitering drone launched from Norinco's SR-5 rocket system and reportedly capable of operating in swarms. Three months later, Norinco tested Sky Eye, a drone fired from a cannon. Both drones are similar to the Russian 9M534.
C4ADS believes the Russian technical documents helped speed up Norinco's work on both systems, though it notes that this conclusion rests mainly on how closely the Chinese and Russian systems resemble each other.
Russia's aerospace testing base is also working for Norinco, which now faces U.S. sanctions and Japanese and Taiwanese export controls.
The Russian state-owned Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), which is under multiple Western sanctions, tested Chinese scale aircraft models in its wind tunnels and returned them to Norinco with the test data at least nine times between 2022 and 2024. The work comes as Norinco has been expanding into military drones over the past decade.
The cooperation also extends to universities and research institutes. Drones have become a growing focus of joint research by Chinese and Russian scientists, according to C4ADS.
Researchers from the two countries co-authored 86 academic papers on drones and other unmanned systems between 2022 and 2026, an average of about 17 a year. In the dozen years from 2009 to 2021, they produced only 36 such papers, or about three a year.
Evgeny Neretin, a department head at the Moscow Aviation Institute, has co-authored multiple papers with researchers tied to Chinese defense laboratories — labs that also funded the work. The papers deal with algorithms for autonomous drone combat and, more recently, for keeping several drones in formation while they track targets, a likely building block for drone swarms.
In June 2025, the Chinese government approved the creation of a joint educational institute between the Moscow Aviation Institute (sanctioned by the U.S. and EU), and China's military-linked Northwestern Polytechnical University (subject to U.S. and Japanese export controls).
Russian weapons, made in China
The C4ADS report also indicates that some Russian makers of machine tools and chips are moving production to China.
Stankomashstroy, a sanctioned Russian machine-tool maker, plans to move production of advanced five-axis machine tools to an industrial park in China's Shaanxi province.
In 2025, the company sold equipment to the Votkinsk Plant, which builds ballistic missiles, and to Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant Kupol, a producer of air defense systems and long-range attack drones.
Illustrating Moscow's reliance on Beijing for chips, Russia's sanctioned state-owned chipmaker Element set up at least four subsidiaries in China in 2025 and began assembling chipsets there. In 2026, Element also bought power electronics intellectual property from the Chinese defense contractor Shijiazhuang Tonhe Electronics.
According to C4ADS, these moves would likely help Element produce military-grade microelectronics despite Western sanctions and export controls. They also fit a recent Kremlin initiative to build up Russia's chip industry.
A deepening alliance
The C4ADS report adds fresh details to previous findings by the Kyiv Independent regarding China and Russia's military partnership.
While China officially claims neutrality in Russia's war against Ukraine, Beijing remains Moscow's key trading partner, economic supporter, oil buyer, and provider of dual-use equipment.
According to leaked Rostec documents, China bought Russian airborne combat vehicles, ammunition, and parachute systems after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Dozens of Chinese officers and arms industry staff visited Russia during the war to negotiate the deals.
Separate Kyiv Independent investigations found that Chinese suppliers have helped keep Russia's missile and drone production pipelines running.
Machine tools shipped mostly from China fueled the expansion of the Votkinsk Plant, which makes ballistic missiles — including intercontinental ones.
Chinese and Hong Kong companies also supplied parts to the maker of Russia's Lancet attack drones and remain the main channel for Western chips used in Russian weapons.