Did a US military contractor use a Chinese-made jet engine in ‘Strategic Strike’ missile?

When an American defence manufacturer posted a recent video of its latest weapon, viewers noticed something unexpected
Reading Time:
3 minutes


Zhang Tongin Beijing
Published: 8:00pm, 16 Mar 2025Updated: 8:04pm, 16 Mar 2025
A US defence contractor is facing scrutiny after allegations surfaced that its latest weapon system may be using a jet engine that was made in China and sold online.

On March 5, California-based start-up Mach Industries posted a promotional video on social media showcasing its latest product – a vertical take-off cruise missile.

In the video, the missile is seen launching vertically from a stationary position on the ground before dramatically diving towards a target, resembling the attack pattern of a kamikaze drone. The footage also highlighted the missile’s 3D-printed body and engine assembly.

But it did not take long for viewers analysing the video to suggest that the engine design closely resembled the Swiwin SW800 Pro, a Chinese-manufactured model.

Mach Industries was founded in 2022 by Ethan Thornton, who is now just 21 years old. The next-generation defence technology and manufacturing company has been making headlines of late. Just one day before the video’s release, it announced it had been selected by the Army Applications Laboratory to develop a vertical take-off precision cruise missile, dubbed “Strategic Strike”.
The Strategic Strike missile boasts a range of 290km (180 miles) and can carry a warhead exceeding 10kg (22 pounds), according to an Army Technology report on March 4. The system is also expected to integrate AI-powered visual recognition and radio frequency (RF) sensing technologies.

On its website, Mach Industries stated: "Right now, China is dominating in scale, so we must build unmatched hardware. We are building verticalised and decentralised manufacturing. When supply chains collapse, Mach will endure."


The Swiwin SW800 Pro engine. Viewers of Mach Industries' video have suggested the missile is using this jet engine. Photo: Swiwin

This bold statement drew criticism with many pointing out that, if the company had used Chinese-made components, it contradicted its rhetoric.

On March 6, Thornton responded to the controversy, denying the claims.

"A few people have mentioned the engine, so I figured I'd touch on it. The Viper ships with a JetCat; there are no Chinese components on any of our airframes," he wrote in a social media post.

As comments continued to compare the JetCat engine with the Swiwin SW800 Pro, he replied saying: "As for the airframe in the video, we feel comfortable blowing up Chinese components for testing purposes."

It could be possible that the missile is still in its early stages of development, with the primary goal to test its aerodynamic design rather than its propulsion system. In such a case, Mach Industries could potentially have used an off-the-shelf civilian engine to reduce costs.

But this raises another question: can a Chinese-made civilian engine be sufficient for early-stage missile testing? If so, it highlights the growing technological capabilities of China's private aerospace sector.

If Mach Industries did use a Chinese-made engine, the mystery remains of how it may have acquired it. In May 2024, China's Ministry of Commerce and other government bodies issued new aerospace regulations restricting the export of structural components, engines and related manufacturing technologies - including gas turbine engines.

Despite these restrictions, the Swiwin SW800 Pro is still available for sale online for 128,000 yuan (US$17,600). Swiwin Turbine, the manufacturer based in China's Hebei province, specialises in small-scale aviation engines for applications such as model aircraft and personal flying devices.

A Swiwin Turbine spokesperson acknowledged the controversy, confirming that the engine in the Mach Industries video appeared to be theirs. However, they said they did not know how it may have been acquired and emphasised that their products were primarily used for hobbyist aircraft and personal flight devices, not military applications.

"Since the engine does not fall under China's military-use category, it has not been affected by export bans. The SW800 Pro was even showcased at the Zhuhai Airshow last year," the spokesperson said.

If Mach Industries did indeed acquire the engine through a third-party supplier for military development, it would suggest that China's export controls may not be as airtight as intended. At the same time, the US International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which prohibit foreign components with potential supply chain risks from being integrated into US military equipment, could also lack strict enforcement.

Chinese-made components have been seen being used in other previous US military operations.

In March 2023, during the Turkey earthquake relief mission, US military personnel were spotted using aid supplies with Chinese labels. Then in September 2023, the US Marine Corps tested an armed "robotic goat" meant to assist infantry units, only for journalists to discover that the machine was manufactured in China.

This incident underscores the complexity of global supply chains in the defence industry. As the US-China rivalry intensifies, supply chain security is likely to become a critical battleground in future geopolitical conflicts.

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other...le/ar-AA1B1dOM



belinya dari Temu kurasa