CASC Rainbow (, abbreviation CH) is a series of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) marketed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The series includes multi-role medium-altitude long-endurance UAVs and micro air vehicles (MAV). The UAVs are produced by CASC's China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA).
Series
CH-1 The CH-1 is a small fixed-wing reconnaissance UAV. Development started in 2000.
CH-2 The CH-2 is a small fixed-wing reconnaissance UAV.
CH-3 The CH-3 is a fixed-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). It first flew in 2007. The CH-3 has a 70 kg payload, and can carry the AR-1 air-to-ground missile and FT-9 guided bomb.
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.
CH-4
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."Red dawn: Communist China stepping up drone deployment,"The Washington Times, March 26, 2013 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.
A CASC factory in Myanmar produces the CH-4.
Saqr-1 is thought to be mostly influenced by the CH-4.
Specifications: Length: Wingspan: Maximum takeoff weight: Payload: Endurance: 40 hours Powerplant: 1 x 100 horsepower piston engine Maximum speed: Cruise speed: Communications range: > with SatCom (1,500-2,000 km for CH-4B), ~ from Ground Control Station (GCS) 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), AKD-10 air-to-surface anti-tank missile, BRM-1 90mm guided rocket, FT-7 130 kg glide bombs, FT-9/50 50 kg bomb, FT-10/25 25 kg bomb, GB-7/50 50 kg precision-guided munition (PGM), GB-4/100 PGM.
CH-5
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, 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 at its first airshow flight (in northern Hebei province) in July 2017. 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. 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 TPE331 turboprop 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.
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)
CH-6 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.
CH-7 The CH-7 is a stealth, flying wing UCAV similar to the X-47B, with a 22m wingspan and a 10m length. It can fly at 920 km/h and an altitude of 13,000 m. The endurance life is around 15 hours with an operational radius of 2,000 km. It can carry anti-radiation missiles and standoff weapons. 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. A live airframe was spotted in 2024.
CH-9 Intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and strike UAV with 11,500 km range.
CH-10 The CH-10 is a tiltrotor UAV.
CH-91 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. The CH-91 is mainly intended for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. It is also known as the BZK-008.
CH-92 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.
CH-95
CH-95 is a fixed-wing UAV for reconnaissance. It's equipped with a SAR/GMTI radar.
CH-802 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. The CH-803 is mainly intended for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The CH-802 program began in 2007 and was completed in 2008.
Specifications: Wingspan (m): 3 Length (m): 1.8 Weight (kg): 6.5 Payload (kg): 1 Radius (km): 30 Normal operating altitude (km): 0.3 – 1 Normal radius (km): 30 – 50 Cruise speed (km/h): 60 Endurance (h): 2.5 Ceiling (km): 4 Launch: by hand
CH-803 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. The CH-803 is mainly intended for reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The CH-803 program began in 2008 and was completed in 2011.
Specifications: Wingspan (m): 3 Length (m): 1.8 Weight (kg): 18 Payload (kg): 3.5 Radius (km): 30 Normal operating altitude (km): 0.5 – 1.5 Normal radius (km): 50 – 80 Cruise speed (km/h): 80 – 110 Endurance (h): 5 Ceiling (km): 3.5 Launch: catapult Recovery: parachute
CH-817 VTOL micro-surveillance and attack UAV with a top speed of 64.8 km/h and an endurance of 15 minutes.
CH-901 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. The CH-901 is designed as a UCAV.
CH-902 Fixed-wing cylindrical UAV.
Operational history Iraq used CH-4s against the Islamic State during the 2013-2017 war.
Nigeria used CH-3s against the Boko Haram insurgency in 2015.
The Tatmadaw in Myanmar reportedly used CH-3s for counterinsurgency in 2015 and 2016 during the Myanmar civil war.
The Saudi-led coalition deployed CH-4s against the Houthi movement during the Yemeni civil war; the aircraft were from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Over twelve Saudi Arabian CH-4s were lost by July 2022.
Comparison + Comparison of major Chinese made military UAVs ModelManufacturerArmaments Takeoff weight Engine type Maximum cruise speed Operational enduranceCH-1CASCNo 220 kgPiston 140 km/h 6 hoursCH-2CASCNo 220 kgPiston 160 km/h 8 hoursCH-3CASCYes, 80 kg650 kgPiston220 km/h12 hoursCH-4CASCYes, 345 kg1330 kgPiston180 km/h 30 hours for recon / 12 hours for strikeCH-5CASCYes, 1000 kg3300 kgTurboprop220 km/h60 hours for recon / 30 hours with 8 AR-1 missilesCH-92CASCYes, 800 kg3300 kgPiston300 km/h30 hours with 8 AR-1 missilesCH-95CASCYes, 800 kg 3300 kgPiston 300 km/h 30 hours with 8 AR-1 missilesGJ-1 (Wing Loong 1)Chengdu Yes, 200 kg 1100 kgPiston 280 km/h 20 hoursGJ-2 (Wing Loong 2)Chengdu Yes, 480 kg 4200 kgTurboprop 370 km/h 32 hours / 20 hours at max speedWing Loong 3ChengduYes, 2300 kg6200 kgTurbopropUnknown40 hoursChengdu WZ-10ChengduYes, 400 kg3200 kgTurbofan370 km/h20 hoursWJ-700CASICYes3500 kgTurbofanUnknown20 hoursWJ-600 A/DCASICYesUnknownTurbofan850 km/h5 hoursTB-001ATengdengYes, 1200 kg3200 kgTurbopropUnknown35 hours at 1000 kg payload
Operators Current
Armenian Air Force: CH-4B. During the parade on May 28 2026, marking Armenia’s Independence Day, three drones of this type were shown. They were equipped with AR-1 and AR-2 air-to-surface missiles.
Algerian Air Force: CH-3 and CH-4
People's Liberation Army Ground Force: 5+ CH-4B (as of 2023); KVD002, a reconnaissance and precision strike drone based on the CH-4.
Congolese Air Force: 3 CH-4B (as of 2023); nine were ordered.
Ethiopian National Defense Force: CH-4
Indonesian Armed Forces: six CH-4Bs
Iraqi Armed Forces: 12 CH-4 (as of 2023) 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. The CH-5 was on order in 2024.
Myanmar Air Force:CH-3 and CH-4B produce locally by license
Nigerian Air Force: 1+ CH-3 (as of 2023.) One crashed in January 2015. The UAVs were operated infrequently due to poor quality. In 2020, another eight in delivery.
Pakistan Armed Forces: 5 CH-4 (as of 2023.) Received five CH-4s in 2021.
Royal Saudi Air Force: CH-4 (as of 2023.)
Serbian Air Force and Air Defence: 6 CH-92A and 10 CH-95
Sudanese Air Force: CH-3 and CH-4
Turkmen Air Force: CH-3A
United Arab Emirates Armed Forces: CH-4
Zambian Defence Force: CH-4
Former
Royal Jordanian Air Force: CH-4B (as of 2023.)
See also
References Citations
Sources