Drones

China’s New Rainbow Drones Soon For Sale

China is now marketing its newest combat UAV from the Rainbow series, the CH-5 model. It is similar to the American MQ-9 Reaper, but is a bit light at 2,720 kg to the Reaper’s 4,170. The CH-5 has a payload of 900 kg and can carry smart bombs and laser guided missiles (like the American Hellfire). It has a flight endurance of up to 20 hours, and after its first flight in 2015 should be available for delivery in late 2016.

The CH-5’s predecessor, the CH-4, which debuted in 2012 was also armed. It is similar looking to the American Predator and weighs around 1,000 kg, has a 14 metre wingspan, and is 9 metres tall. With a max altitude of 5,300 metres it can carry on flying for more than 14 hours.

The CH-4 can be armed with four under-wing weapons or electronic devices, each weighing up to 100 kg. The Chinese-made weapons available for the CH-4 include the AR-1, a Hellfire clone. The AR-1 can be equipped with either laser guidance or GPS, has a 10 kg warhead, and weighing in at 45 kg has a maximum range of 10 kilometres.