CASC CH-4 Rainbow - Military Factory

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Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV)

China | 2014

"The CASC CH-4 Rainbow UCAV borrows heavily from the American MQ-9 Reaper UCAV drone series."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/22/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content. The CASC CH-4 is a dedicated Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) of Chinese origin. It is said to borrow heavily from the proven existing line of American MQ-9 Reaper UCAVs. Both are intended for the strike mission role through various precision-guided munitions and are designed to loiter over target areas for hours (the CH-4 sports a fourteen hour mission endurance window). Externally, comparisons to the American product are justifiable for the Chinese interpretation of the proven machine bears more than a passing resemblance to the MQ-9 right down to the outward-cranked tail fins (though there is no ventral fin), straight mainplane wings and fixed tricycle undercarriage - Chinese industry has not been shy in the past about copying foreign solutions to solve local problems. The CH-4 is one of a long line of UAV products in the CASC "Rainbow" series of unmanned systems that include the CH-1, CH-2 and CH-3. Upon introduction, the CH-4 represented the largest of the Rainbow offerings and is currently marketed in two distinct forms: the "CH-4A" to be used primarily for reconnaissance and the "CH-4B" for the armed reconnaissance / general attack role. As in the Reaper design, the CH-4 UCAV relies on a slender fuselage body containing the optics fit, avionics set, fuel stores and engine installation (the engine drives a similar three-bladed propeller unit at the rear of the fuselage in a "pusher" arrangement). At the "chin" position is a blister housing the sensor kit with both Infra-Red (IR) and daytime (with zoom) capabilities as well as a laser rangefinder. The armament loadout supports both modern Chinese Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs) as well as precision-guided drop bombs - up to 770lb of ordnance can be displayed across four to six total underwing hardpoints. Currently (2017), the only known operators of the CH-4 are Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The Iraqi military has already put the CH-4 through its combat paces against ISIS forces while the Saudis have deployed some of their fleet against Houthi rebels in that ongoing war. CASC is in talks with the Saudi Kingdom to arrange for local production of several hundred CH-4 drones for the oil-rich nation. The CH-5 represents a slightly more advanced version of the CH-4, first-flying in August of 2015. This product features improved performance specifications including greater endurance and altitude. Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted. Program Updates November 2019 - Jordan has placed its fleet of six CH-4 Rainbow UAVs for international sale citing less-than-desirable performance. November 2020 - Nigeria is set to receive up to four CH-4 UAVs. Power & Performance Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the CASC CH-4 Rainbow Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). 1 x Conventional engine developing an estimated 900 horsepower and driving three-bladed propelled in pusher arrangement. Propulsion 217 mph 350 kph | 189 kts Max Speed 47,375 ft 14,440 m | 9 miles Service Ceiling 1,709 miles 2,750 km | 1,485 nm Operational Range City-to-City Ranges Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM). NYC LON LON PAR PAR BER BER MOS MOS TOK TOK SYD SYD LAX LAX NYC Structure The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the CASC CH-4 Rainbow Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV). 0 (UNMANNED) Crew 36.1 ft 11.00 m O/A Length 65.6 ft (20.00 m) O/A Width 12.5 ft (3.80 m) O/A Height 3,527 lb (1,600 kg) Empty Weight 9,921 lb (4,500 kg) MTOW Design Balance The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design. RANGE ALT SPEED Armament Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the CASC CH-4 Rainbow Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) . Four to six underwing hardpoints for the carrying of anti-tank / air-to-surface guided-missiles and precision-guided / conventional drop bombs / ordnance. Mission payload of up 770lb. Variants Notable series variants as part of the CASC CH-4 Rainbow family line. CH-4 "Rainbow" - Base Series Designation Operators Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the CASC CH-4 Rainbow. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing. Total Production: 500 Units Contractor(s): China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) - China [ China; Egypt; Iraq; Jordan; Nigeria; Saudi Arabia ] Relative Max Speed Hi: 300mph Lo: 150mph Aircraft Max Listed Speed (217mph). Graph Average of 225 MPH. Era Crossover Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any) Max Alt Visualization Production Comparison 500 36183 44000 Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production. MACH Regime (Sonic) Sub Trans Super Hyper HiHyper ReEntry ♦ RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: 19030 Aviation Timeline EarlyYrs WWI Interwar WWII ColdWar Postwar Modern Future ♦ 1 / 1 Image from Chinese internet. Mission Roles Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements. GROUND ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE UNMANNED Recognition Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge. Going Further... The CASC CH-4 Rainbow Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicle (UCAV) appears in the following collections: HOME AVIATION INDEX AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS COMPARE AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT AIRCRAFT BY TYPE AIRCRAFT BY DECADE MODERN AIRCRAFT DRONE TECHNOLOGY Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies 2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code WW2 Weapons The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. 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