By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-03-16 12:11:41 | Updated at 2025-03-17 03:58:04
15 hours ago
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.
