November 3, 2018
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China’s 'deadliest drone bomber' that can carry 16 missiles and destroy targets from 19,600 feet high
China has released a new propaganda video of its deadly unmanned fighter jet, which shows the aircraft striking still and moving targets.
CH-5, also known as Rainbow-5, was unveiled in 2016 and is said to be China's largest and most powerful drone bomber. The aircraft can carry 16 missiles and strike targets while flying at an altitude of 6,000 metres, Chinese media have claimed. It can fly up to 60 hours without refuelling with a maximum flight altitude of 8,000 metres and a maximum range of 10,000 kilometres.
The propaganda film, shared by Chinese state media People's Daily on its social media account, was released ahead of China's largest airshow which will take place from November 6 to 11 in Zhuhai. The clip includes a recent live-fire drill during which CH-5, billed as an 'air bomb truck', successfully blew up moving targets.
It also shows the footage of the aircraft's flight test in May on the Tibetan Plateau. During the test, the warplane successfully took off and landed at an airport 3,500 metres above sea level.
CH-5 is developed and manufactured by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics. It's the latest member of the country's Rainbow Drone Project. The drone bomber has reported entered a mass-producing stage.
The mass-produced model has a wingspan of 21 meters and a maximum external load of 1,000 kilograms, said China Central Television Station.
'Because of its external load, its reconnaissance and attacking capabilities has made a qualitative leap compared to the previous models,' Ou Zhongming, the General Director of the Rainbow Drone Project, told China Central Television Station.
The plane's maximum take-off load is 3,300 kilograms. A redundancy system has been fitted into its flight control, which would enable the drone to carry on with its task even if one component breaks down, Mr Ou added.
The CH-5 is also capable of carrying high-definition radar systems which would allow the aircraft to conduct surveys at different altitudes.
When the CH-5 debuted in 2016, Chinese media said it was the country's equivalent to the American military drone, General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper. CH-5 is said to be twice as big as China's other drone fighter jet CH-4 and can carry 2.5 times more external load than CH-4.
The head engineer, Shi Wen, said in a previous interview with Global Times that CH-5 would be able to fly 120 hours without refuelling in the future. The original CH-5 made its maiden flight in August 2015 in China's Gansu Province.
Extracted from: www.dailymail.co.uk
