China’s naval commandos rode electric skateboards into a combat exercise with drones disguised as birds, then left in a pickup truck

One commando launched a winged drone designed to resemble a sparrow.

Later, a half-dozen commandos armed with assault rifles exited a treeline on powered skateboards — which a state TV narrator said were electric.

As they entered a compound with firing targets, one of the troops released a handheld drone carried by four small propellers, which rushed into a wall and exploded.

The commandos advanced through a field on their skateboards, dismounting to shoot targets and throwing a flare.

Several then showcased an explosive breach on a plywood structure and retrieved a dummy, which they stowed onto a pickup truck.

Other televised demonstrations included the use of a jetpack, similar to one tested by Gravity Industries for the UK’s Royal Marines, a surveillance quadcopter drone, and a remote-controlled drone that ripped through a paper target.

While not used on a wider scale by other major militaries, personal electric vehicles are starting to appear in combat zones. Russian military bloggers recently reported that Russian troops in Ukraine have been using electric scooters to move quietly between positions.

In the Donbas, pro-Russian militias were also reported to be using motorcycles to avoid being spotted by drones.

The fighting in Ukraine has heightened interest around the world in cheaper, more versatile weapons like first-person drones.

The US Army, for example, asked in its fiscal budget for 2025 for $2.4 billion to develop low-cost drones.