China’s People’s Liberation Army Showcases Armed Robot Dogs in Amphibious Landing Drills/PC: CGTN Europe/YouTube
By Gina Hill | Alaska Headline Living | November 2025
China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has conducted a series of live-fire amphibious landing exercises featuring four-legged robotic “robot dogs” deployed as frontline scouts, obstacle-clearing units, and armed support platforms, according to newly released footage and official military publications.
The drills, described by the PLA as full-course ship-to-shore assault exercises, included coordinated operations between manned units, unmanned ground robots, and first-person-view (FPV) drones. Video released by state military channels shows the robots disembarking from landing vessels ahead of infantry, navigating beach obstacles, and—in several sequences—carrying explosive charges used to clear barricades for advancing troops.
Other footage demonstrates the robots working alongside FPV drones that identify enemy firing positions, provide overwatch, and deliver close-in strikes while the robotic platforms advance. PLA narrators characterize the scenario as testing manned-unmanned coordination under live-fire conditions.
Additional clips from related training events show variants of the robots equipped with mounted rifles participating in simulated urban and jungle operations. Those demonstrations were recorded both in domestic PLA drills and during the “Golden Dragon” joint training exercises with Cambodia, where the armed systems operated with infantry teams during room-clearing and reconnaissance missions.
The PLA has presented the drills as part of an effort to accelerate the integration of artificial intelligence and robotics into combat operations, particularly in high-risk frontline roles such as beachhead penetration and close-quarters reconnaissance. While the footage highlights the robots’ obstacle-clearing and weapons-carrying capabilities, it also depicts the systems under fire, underscoring their current vulnerability in open terrain.
Chinese military authorities have not disclosed technical specifications, levels of autonomy, or detailed doctrine governing the use of the armed platforms. All released footage shows the robots operating under remote control or direct human supervision.
The exercises reflect a broader push by the PLA to incorporate unmanned and semi-autonomous systems into amphibious, urban, and joint-operations training, as China continues public demonstrations of emerging robotic technologies in official military media.
