China’s military has shown off a new wave of robot dogs leading amphibious assaults, and the footage looks like something out of a sci-fi war movie. State broadcaster CCTV released video of the Eastern Theater Command’s 72nd Group Army using four-legged “wolf robots” alongside swarms of drones in a drill that simulated a landing on Taiwan. The CCTV footage shows the machines charging ahead of troops, breaching obstacles, and helping shooters punch through coastal defenses.
The robots weigh about 70 kilograms and can carry roughly 20 kilograms of gear, according to Chinese reports. Some variants in the video were armed or used as fire support, while others hauled ammo and medical supplies. Cameras mounted around the body give each robot 360-degree awareness, and operators reportedly controlled swarms of platforms and drones from a single real-time three-dimensional interface.
The drill emphasized speed. State accounts claimed the combined drone and robot package cut the time from spotting a target to destroying it to under 10 seconds. In staged scenes the quadrupeds ran across barbed wire and trench obstacles in three to five minutes, opening lanes for follow-on forces. One sequence even showed a single soldier directing nine wolf robots and six drones at once. The narrative is clear: expendable, cheap machines can take the riskiest first steps in an assault so human troops face less danger.
That story is persuasive, but the footage also highlights real limits. Several robots were shown damaged or destroyed by small-arms fire, and commentators noted how exposed key components looked in open terrain. One robot was visibly put out of action by light gunfire, underlining that speed and expendability may come at the cost of survivability. Communication security, battery life, and the ability to operate under electronic attack remain open questions.
Analysts say the exercise marks a shift in doctrine, moving from massed human assaults toward coordinated manned and unmanned teams that lean on automation and attritable systems. Large strike drones handled bombardment while FPV suicide drones and robot dogs pressed the breach. The goal is precision, tempo, and attrition of defensive positions without throwing waves of soldiers at hazards.
From a weapons design angle the concept is straightforward: cheap, replaceable machines can multiply force presence at minimal political cost. From a defence planning angle the concept raises new challenges for opponents, who must now counter both aerial and ground robotics in tight, fast cycles.
Whether these wolf robots change the calculus of amphibious warfare depends on how the PLA closes gaps seen in the clips. For now, the images are a vivid demonstration of rapid experimentation: robots move faster than doctrine, and doctrine is racing to catch up.
