Learning from Ukraine war, Chinese military doctors target injuries from drones

China’s military medical experts are making progress in finding cures for common injuries seen in drone warfare, drawing on lessons from the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

Chen Juxiang, a senior Chinese military doctor, told CCTV on Monday that cranio-maxillofacial injuries – damage to the hard and soft tissues of the head – had become a particularly big problem in conflicts dominated by drones.

Chen, director of neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University, cited battlefield experience from Ukraine and the US-Iran conflict, saying that “in drone warfare, cranio-maxillofacial injuries account for more than 30 per cent of battlefield trauma”.

Chen said his team had been preparing for the shift for years and had made progress in treatment protocols and haemostatic materials for these kinds of head injuries.