Chinese CASC CH-5 (Caihong 5) Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Armed/Weaponized UAS/UAV/Drone Aircraft to Patrol the South China Sea?

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

By David Crane
david (at) defensereview (dot) com

Photo(s) Credit: Kelvin Wong, IHS Jane’s 360 and RUPTLY

November 9, 2016

Oh, and speaking of advanced, deadly chinese combat aircraft, they recently unveiled the CASC CH-5 (Caihong 5) medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) armed/weaponized UAS/UAV/drone aircraft, made by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and billled as the “world’s most powerful drone”, at Airshow China 2016. The CH-5 sports an 11-meter lightweight composite airframe and 21-meter wingspan. MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight) is 3,300 kilograms, which includes a 1,200-kilogram payload capacity, 200 kilograms of which can be carried internally, inside the mission bay. The rest goes external, under the wings. The Chinese showed off the CH-5 with a payload of four (4)AR-1 and four (4) AR-2 guided anti-armor weapons/missiles under each wing, for a total of eight (8) AR-1’s and eight (8) AR-2’s. Not bad. That’s a good amount of onboard mayhem.
Operating range is 250 kilometers via line-of-sight datalink, but the range can reportedly be extended out to 2,000 km via satellite comms (SATCOM).

To achieve all of this AND a 60-hour flight/loitering time with “high reliability”, the CH-5 utilizes a 330-hp (horsepower) HFE (Heavy Fuel Engine). The HFE can be substituted for a 300-hp gasoline engine that provides a 39-hour flight/loitering time. Cruising speed is 180-220 km/h (kilometers per hour), with a 300+ km/h maximum speed. Service ceiling is 30,000 feet, or 7000 meters. Also not bad.

No doubt the CH-5 and Chengdu J-20 will wind up patroling the waters around China’s militarized islands in the South China Sea. According to Mark Willey of The Sun, older versions of this drone type have already been used to “wipe out IS and Boko Haram fanatics”. The article goes on to state that the CH-5’s chief designer, Shi Wen, says that “several foreign nations have expressed intentions to purchase the CH-5 and we are in talks with them.”

Company Contact Info:

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
16 Fucheng Road, Haidian District,
Beijing 100048, PRC
Phone:010-68767492
Fax:010-68372291
Email:casc@spacechina.com
Website: http://english.spacechina.com/n16421/index.html

© Copyright 2016 DefenseReview.com (DR). All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without receiving permission and providing proper credit and appropriate links. If you are reading this article anywhere other than DefenseReview.com, please email us the website address/URL (where the unauthorized DR article reprint is located) at defrev (at) gmail (dot) com. Thank you.

Related Articles:

Chinese Chengdu J-20 Low-Observable/Stealth Jet Fighter Aircraft: How Big a Threat is It?

Russian Ratnik-3 (Warrior-3) Infantry Combat System with Exoskeleton to Turn Future Russian Military Infantry Soldier/Warfighters into ‘Supermen’? Let’s Hope Not.

Russian RS-28 Sarmat Satan 2 ‘Super-Nuke’ and ‘object 4202’ Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV): Russia Getting Ready for for World War III (WWIII)?

Russian Yu-71 Hypersonic Attack Aircraft (HAA)/’Nuke Glider’ and Yu-74 Ultra-Maneuverable Hypersonic Glide Vehicle (HGV) Nuclear Attack Threats: Can We Defend Against Them?

Russian Low-Observable/Stealth Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (and Possibly Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles?) Under Development: What it Means for Future Warfare and Geopolitics

Northrop Grumman NG Air Dominance (NGAD) Low-Observable/Stealth Multirole and Potentially-Supersonic ‘Superjet’ Jet Fighter Aircraft Prototype Armed with Laser Weapons/Cannon!: Hittin’ the ‘Sweet Spot’ with the ‘Baby B-2’ F/A-XX

U.S. Air Force Seeking Laser Weapons for Fighter Aircraft: Air-to-Air Combat Laser Cannon Cometh?

F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Too Expensive? Solution: Scrap the F-35A and F-35C Variants, Produce the F-35B STOVL, and Revive the F-22 Raptor.

F-22 Raptor Program Cancellation: Will we learn from it?

Gen-2 PAK-FA Sukhoi T-50/HAL FGFA Low-Observable Supercruising 5th-Generation Stealth Fighter Aircraft Begins Flight Testing: Raptorsky Alive and Well

Raptor Beware: Russia Test-Flies PAK FA Sukhoi T-50 5th-Generation Supercruise-Capable Low-Observable/Stealth Fighter Aircraft. Look out F-22.

Chinese Military Developing New Aircraft Carrier Tech: Is a Sino-Russian Economic and Military Alliance in the Works?

Can the U.S. Navy Defend Itself Against Chinese and Russian Military Tech?

Chinese CASC CH-5 (Caihong 5) Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance (MALE) Armed/Weaponized UAS/UAV/Drone Aircraft to Patrol the South China Sea? by

About David Crane

David Crane started publishing online in 2001. Since that time, governments, military organizations, Special Operators (i.e. professional trigger pullers), agencies, and civilian tactical shooters the world over have come to depend on Defense Review as the authoritative source of news and information on "the latest and greatest" in the field of military defense and tactical technology and hardware, including tactical firearms, ammunition, equipment, gear, and training.

Check Also

Novus Precision MDS3 and the PDS1: Russian Clone Optics Better than the Originals!

By Toby Melville July 22, 2024 Red dot optics have become a standard accessory for …