Ukraine's "trick" on China: Copied the drone and created a "lethal killer"
A new Ukrainian drone, resembling the Iranian "Shahed", was recently discovered. It is the MICH-2000, which was reverse-engineered from a Chinese model after Beijing refused to sell it. The drone is now being used for critical long-range strikes.
Ukraine has successfully reverse-engineered a Chinese drone designed for long-range strikes. Following a factory visit where China refused to sell the units, Ukrainian developers began the copying process, documenting the production cycle and obtaining initial units. The drone is now capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 2,000 km.
The reports emerged after the drone was accidentally revealed in footage of Ukrainian strikes inside Russia. According to reports, it is one of the primary tools used by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The drone is believed to have been behind the July 16 attack on the Engels-2 airbase in western Russia. The drones flew approximately 800 kilometers to strike a Tu-95 bomber. The SBU announced that the aircraft sustained critical damage, including the loss of its tail section, which was later confirmed by satellite imagery.
The MICH-2000 project began in the summer of 2023, after China restricted the export of the civilian ZTK-150 drone, which Ukrainian units had previously purchased and converted for deep-strike missions. The ZTK-150 bears a visual resemblance to the Iranian Shahed drones, distinguished primarily by a pair of front control surfaces.
In late 2023, a team of Ukrainian developers traveled to China to purchase the aircraft. At the factory, they observed dozens of ZTK-150 units on the production line. While Chinese intermediaries initially offered to sell the production technology, the factory management unexpectedly refused when the team returned to finalize the deal. The intermediaries then offered to help assemble the drones in a location without export restrictions and train Ukrainian operators. The team completed the training, documented the production process, and returned to Ukraine with eight Chinese units.
Two years later, Ukraine developed the MICH-2000. According to the manufacturer, little remains of the original Chinese design other than the basic contours. The Ukrainian version costs approximately $48,000 and can carry a warhead weighing between 25 and 60 kilograms. The drone has already been deployed against ports, military, and industrial sites in the Moscow area and at Engels-2.
The strike on Engels-2 may leave Russia with only 43 operational Tu-95 aircraft, of which about 12 are typically active. This is part of an ongoing Ukrainian campaign to neutralize Russian bombers, which peaked on June 1, 2025, when Operation Spider Web resulted in the destruction or damage of at least seven Tu-95s and four Tu-22Ms. Ukraine's objective is to strike these bombers before they can launch missiles at Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
Russia possesses approximately 120 bombers of the Tu-95, Tu-22M, and Tu-160 models. The MICH-2000 is currently produced at a rate of 6,000 units per year, with a target of 10,000. There are eight main versions available, offering options for analog, digital, or Starlink communication systems, as well as various warhead types and guidance configurations.
