The display of dozens of unmanned-aircraft models at last November's Zhuhai air show made it clear that China, industrially and militarily, is moving rapidly to catch up- and perhaps ultimately overtake-the West in this burgeoning sector of aerospace. In this defense-dominated field, China cannot look to the West for technical expertise and experienced suppliers, as it has done in the commercial airliner and helicopter sectors, but the uncanny familiarity of many of the aircraft on display at Zhuhai indicates the Chinese are openly copying successful designs to speed their development of unmanned systems.
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