Welcome to the community hub built on top of the CASC Rainbow Wikipedia article.
Here, you can discuss, collect, and organize anything related to CASC Rainbow. The
purpose of the hub is to connect people,...
The CH-3 is a fixed-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV).[6] It first flew in 2007. The CH-3 has a 70 kg payload,[7] and can carry the AR-1 air-to-ground missile and FT-9 guided bomb.[8]
The Pakistani NESCOM Burraq may be based on the CH-3; the Burraq is armed with the Burq missile, which may be based on the AR-1.[9]
Externally, the CH-4 looks almost identical to the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, with the only distinct visual difference between the two UAVs being the ventral fin below the V-tail on MQ-9 which is absent on the CH-4.[10][11][12] There are two versions, the CH-4A and CH-4B. The CH-4A is a reconnaissance drone (capable of a 3500–5000 km range and a 30- to 40-hour endurance life) while the CH-4B is a mixed attack and reconnaissance system with provisions for 6 weapons and a payload of up to 250 to 345 kg.
CH-4 is capable of firing air-to-ground missiles from an altitude of 5,000 meters (~16,400 feet), meaning the aircraft is capable of staying outside the effective range of most anti-aircraft guns. It also allows the CH-4 to be able to fire from a position that provides a wider area of view.[13]
The CH-5 is a large UAV with a wingspan of 21 metres, a payload of 1,000 kg, a maximum takeoff weight of over 3 tonnes, a service ceiling of 9 km, an endurance life of up to 60 hours,[20] and a range of 10,000 km. Thanks to a shared data link system, it can cooperate with CH-3 and CH-4 drones. It conducted its maiden flight in August 2015[21] at its first airshow flight (in northern Hebei province) in July 2017.[20] The drone can carry a maximum of 16 missiles at a single time. There were also plans to extend its range up to 20,000 km.[22] Chinese officials claimed the CH-5 Rainbow was similar in performance to the US MQ-9 Reaper and "may come in at less than half the price". Compared to the Garrett TPE331turboprop engine mounted on the Reaper, the CH-5 is equipped with an unidentified turbo-charged piston engine with less than half the horsepower. This design consideration limits the maximum altitude of the CH-5 to 9 km compared to the 12–15 km of the Reaper, but it also extends CH-5's endurance life to 60 hours compared to the Reaper's 14 hours.
A more recent engine variant, with a 300 kW piston engine from Anhui Hangrui Co., will increase the service ceiling to 12 km and the endurance life to 120 hours.[23]
Armaments: AR-1 missile, AR-2 missile (20 kg, 5 kg armour-piercing warhead, inertial guidance system with terminal semi-active laser (SAL) seeker, maximum range 8 km)[18]
The CH-6 is a large UAV with a MTOW of 7800 kg with two variants: a strike variant with an 18-hour endurance life and a 450 kg payload; a reconnaissance variant with a 21-hour endurance life and a 120 kg payload. It was in development in 2021.[24]
The CH-7 is a stealth, flying wingUCAV similar to the X-47B, with a 22m wingspan and a 10m length. It can fly at 920 km/h and an altitude of 13,000m. The endurance life is around 15 hours with an operational radius of 2000 km.[25] It can carry antiradiation missiles and standoff weapons.[26][27][28] According to its chief designer, "the CH-7 can intercept radar electronic signals, and simultaneously detect, verify and monitor high-value targets, such as hostile command stations, missile launch sites, and naval vessels". It was planned to make its maiden flight in 2019 and commence production from 2022.[25] A live airframe was spotted in 2024.[29][30]
The CH-91 is a fixed-wing UAV with a twin-boom layout and an inverted v-tail with a pair of skids acting as the landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage.[33][34] The CH-91 is mainly intended for reconnaissance and surveillance missions.[35] It is also known as the BZK-008.
CH-92 is a fixed-wing UAV in the conventional V-tail layout with a tricycle landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the empennage. The CH-92 is mainly intended for reconnaissance, surveillance, and attack missions.[35][36]
The CH-802 is a fixed-wing micro air vehicle (MAV) in the conventional layout with an elevated high-wing configuration and V-tail. The CH-802 has a cylindrical fuselage with propulsion being provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor brushless electric motor atop the fuselage.[37][38] The CH-803 is mainly intended for reconnaissance and surveillance missions.[35] The CH-802 program began in 2007 and was completed in 2008.
The CH-803 is a fixed-wing UAV with a cylindrical fuselage and canards, but without the tailplane. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a tractor engine mounted in the nose. Another unique feature of the CH-803 is that it adopts a forward-swept wing.[39] The CH-803 is mainly intended for reconnaissance and surveillance missions.[35] The CH-803 program began in 2008 and was completed in 2011.
The CH-901 is a fixed-wing UAV in the conventional layout with a cylindrical fuselage and a high-wing configuration. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the end of empennage.[41] The CH-901 is designed as a UCAV.[35][42]
Iraqi Armed Forces: 12 CH-4 (as of 2023)[62] Deliveries started by 2015. Put into storage in 2017. In 2019, one was "fully mission capable" and the rest were grounded due to maintenance problems.[45] The CH-5 was on order in 2024.[63]
Nigerian Air Force: 1+ CH-3 (as of 2023.)[65] One crashed in January 2015. The UAVs were operated infrequently due to poor quality. In 2020, another eight in delivery.[6]
^ abcFunaiole, Matthew P.; Bermudez, Joseph S. Jr.; Kurata, Katherine (6 May 2021). "Tatmadaw Deploys Chinese-Made UAVs". Center for Strategic and International Studies. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
^Li, Christina (1 April 2017). "UAE's Increasing Role in China's Security Calculus"(PDF). ISPSW Strategy Series: Focus on Defense and International Security. In Yemen, the UAE is already using China's Wing Loong drones in its campaign against al Qaeda, and recently purchased the CH-4 drones
