China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation’s (CASC) latest and most capable attack and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Caihong 5 (CH-5), or Rainbow 5, will be fitted with a new heavy fuel engine, which will increase the endurance and range of the aircraft.
The CH-5’s maiden flight was conducted at an undisclosed airfield in Gansu province, China in August 2015. The flight lasted for about 20 minutes. A prototype of the new UAV was publicly displayed for the first time in November 2016. Last summer, CASC announced that the drone is ready for mass production. Like previous models of the Rainbow UAV series, the CH-5 is designed for export.
The CH-5 Rainbow UCAV
wingspan 21 metres
payload 1,000 kg
maximum takeoff weight > 3 tonnes
service ceiling 9 km
endurance 60 hours
range 10,000 km
Thanks to shared data link it can cooperate with CH-3 and CH-4 drones.
The drone can carry 16 missiles at a single time.
There were also plans to extend its range up to 20,00 km
the CH-5 Rainbow was similar in performance to the US MQ-9 Reaper
CH-5 is equipped with an unidentified turbo-charged piston engine, with less than half the horsepower.