China’s NUDT Unveils Mosquito-Sized Reconnaissance Drone for Stealth Surveillance

China’s National University of Defense Technology has demonstrated a mosquito-sized bionic drone designed for covert surveillance and reconnaissance by the People’s Liberation Army. The device, first shown on state military channel CCTV-7 on 20 June, was held between a researcher’s fingers to underscore its scale and stealth potential.

The prototype measures about 2 centimetres in length and weighs roughly 0.3 grams—smaller than a human fingernail—yet carries sensors for imaging and data collection. Its two translucent wings, or a four-wing variant controllable by smartphone, can beat up to 500 times per second, while three hair-thin legs allow it to perch or land. Chinese media also displayed a 0.6 centimetre version aimed at tighter spaces.

Developers say miniature bionic platforms like the “mosquito drone” could slip through openings inaccessible to conventional UAVs, providing live video or other intelligence during urban combat, hostage rescue or damage assessment. The unveiling is part of a broader NUDT programme that ranges from insect-inspired scouts to bomb-disposal robots and humanoid systems, illustrating Beijing’s drive to fuse civilian electronics with military needs.

Analysts caution that the technology remains a laboratory demonstration. “If it’s powered by a conventional battery, air time will be short and even a light breeze could knock it off course,” Herb Lin at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation told Business Insider. Samuel Bendett of the Center for Naval Analyses added that communications range and payload capacity are sharply limited at this scale.

Still, experts view the device as evidence of rapid miniaturisation in defence robotics. Comparable micro-UAVs—Norway’s palm-sized Black Hornet and Harvard’s RoboBee—are already being tested by NATO forces. Whether China can field swarms of insect-level drones remains uncertain, but the prototype highlights an emerging arena in which centimetres, not metres, may define the next frontier of military surveillance.