The US military is reportedly considering a tactic that involves deploying a submarine near the Chinese coast to release a large number of drones from under the water. These drones would then form a swarm in the air and launch surprise attacks on the People’s Liberation Army fleet during any potential attempt to land in Taiwan, thereby reducing the need for US ships to get too close to the combat zone and risk being hit. But there’s a twist: China has already turned this idea into reality, and test flights suggest its drones could accomplish much more than the Pentagon has envisioned for its own. With help from China’s unmatched drone production chain, researchers with the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) and the China Aerodynamics Research and Development Centre (CARDC) have developed the world’s first drone that can be launched by a submarine from the water, loop repeatedly between the sea and the sky, and eventually find its way back to the sub.

Full study : Amid reports of a new US military plan for an underwater drone release, scientists say China has already done it better.