A Center for Advanced Defense Studies report examines how Russian and Chinese institutions have built military-technology links ranging from commercial supplies to joint research and specialist training. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the findings on Thursday, October 22.

The study identifies unmanned systems as a rapidly growing field of cooperation. Scopus records cited in the report show 86 joint papers on drones and related technologies from 2022 through 2026, compared with 36 published between 2009 and 2021.

Researchers highlighted partnerships involving the Moscow Aviation Institute and Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Their Chinese counterparts included universities and laboratories associated with major state defense groups, while the published work addressed autonomous flight, navigation, artificial intelligence and coordinated drone swarms.

C4ADS said Russia’s scientific expertise and technical education remain valuable to China even as Beijing’s defense industry has reduced its reliance on Russian weapon designs. The report cautioned, however, that it found no proof that the specific academic work it reviewed had been deployed in Russian or Chinese military systems.