China will display the CH-6 (Caihong-6 or Rainbow-6) large twin-engine UAV system for the first time on the Zhuhai Airshow to be held from September 28 to October 3, and its official specifications are disclosed.
The “Intelligent Airshow App” announced today that the China Aerospace Aerodynamic Technology Research Institute will exhibit the CH-6 large twin-engine unmanned aircraft system.
According to the introduction, CH-6 is a large, high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance, multi-purpose unmanned aircraft system. It adopts a conventional large span-to-string ratio aerodynamic layout, with the outstanding advantages of high flight altitude, strong load capacity, long endurance and long range, high system reliability and load scalability.
CH-6 UAV of China is suitable for high-altitude reconnaissance and strike, maritime anti-submarine and patrol and vigilance, long-range early warning and detection, close air support and other combat missions, while effectively realizing manned/unmanned coordinated operations in the future combat environment, accelerating the promotion of information technology and intelligent combat.
CH-6 UAV has the outstanding advantages of high flight height and fast flight speed, which can effectively avoid the threat of ground anti-aircraft fire, and has strong system survivability, and can perform reconnaissance and surveillance, tracking and striking missions for a long time without interruption under weak confrontation conditions or in a certain confrontation intensity war.
As one of China’s largest UAVs in terms of takeoff weight, the CH-6 armed UAV also has the capability to mount a variety of loads such as electro-optical, SAR, early warning radar, electronic reconnaissance, air-to-ground missiles, air-to-ground bombs, anti-radiation missiles, small and medium-sized cruise bombs, etc. At the same time, due to its turbofan engine and long endurance, it can be used as an aerial long-duration stationary platform to perform a variety of military and civilian missions.
The CH-6 UAV’s parameters include maximum takeoff weight of 7.8 tons, maximum load capacity of 300 kg (reconnaissance type) or 2 tons (reconnaissance-attack type), fuel capacity of 3.42 tons (reconnaissance type) or 1.72 tons (reconnaissance-attack type), overall length of 15 meters, wingspan of 20.5 meters, height of 5 meters, maximum level flight speed of 800 km/h, cruise speed of 500 km/h to 700 km/h, cruise altitude of 10 km, ceiling of 12 km, a maximum endurance of 20 hours (reconnaissance type) or 8 hours (reconnaissance-attack type), a maximum range of 12,000 km (reconnaissance type) or 4,500 km (reconnaissance-attack type), a maximum climb rate of 20 m/s, and an operating radius (apparent) of 300 km.
In addition, information on the CH-4 medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV was also disclosed, stating that since its operational use overseas, the aircraft has conducted thousands of combat sorties and over tens of thousands of hours of combat flying, firing about 1,000 rounds of airborne weapons and achieving a 96 percent hit rate.
The CH-4 armed UAV’s main technical specifications include a wingspan of 18 meters, a usage altitude of 3 km to 5 km, a lift limit of 7.2 km, a maximum endurance of 30 hours, a maximum flight speed of 230 km/h, a cruise speed of 150 km/h to 180 km/h, a maximum takeoff weight of 1.33 tons and any load weight of 345 kg.
