China is testing a new wave of high-tech assault robots in preparation for potential amphibious operations against Taiwan, unveiling "robot wolves" designed to spearhead beach landings that military planners say would be among the most difficult missions in modern warfare.

Video released on state television shows militarized versions of four-legged "robot dogs," previously used for search-and-rescue work, now repurposed to storm fortified shoreline positions ahead of human troops, reports The Times on Thursday.

The robots, controlled from units mounted on army transports and operating at ranges of about 1.2 miles, rapidly cut through barbed wire and other obstacles during recent beach exercises.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) paired the beach drills with mock airborne landings behind defensive lines, also supported by robot wolves, underscoring Beijing's intent to integrate autonomous systems into every stage of a potential Taiwan invasion.

Beijing hopes the robotic vanguard will function much like drone swarms deployed in Ukraine, using sheer numbers to overwhelm defensive lines.

Each team operates with AI-driven coordination, typically a reconnaissance unit, two gun-equipped wolves, and one carrying ammunition, and moves under the cover of artillery and airborne drone strikes.

The robots made their public debut at an air show last year before appearing in September's large military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Their role in the latest exercises signals they are becoming a key element of the PLA's expanding unmanned arsenal.

Analysts note, however, that while the wolves can clear obstacles quickly, they remain vulnerable to defensive fire and depend on human follow-on forces.

The PLA's earlier reliance on manpower-heavy "human wave" tactics, rooted in Maoist doctrine and used with devastating losses in past conflicts, failed during its only attempted landing against a Taiwan-held island at the close of the Chinese Civil War.

Under President Xi Jinping, China has pushed forward an unprecedented military modernization effort, closing much of the technological gap with the United States on jets, missiles, and naval power.

The PLA has also absorbed lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war, where drones have reshaped battlefield strategy from reconnaissance to precision strikes.

Timothy Ritter, a drone-warfare specialist at the U.S. Center for Naval Analyses, wrote in a recent study that unmanned and increasingly autonomous systems "are changing the way war is fought around the globe," adding that China's long-standing disadvantage in swarm technology "may now be closing."

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