The newest version of the People’s Liberation Army’s solar-powered, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) completed a live-ammunition test under extreme weather conditions last month, the People’s Daily reported on Monday. The Caihong (CH), which means “rainbow” in Mandarin, has been developed by the Beijing Aerospace Propulsion Institute under the auspices of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.
The latest variant of the CH-4 drone underwent a six-day intensive bombing test in northwestern China. CASC reported that it flew smoothly for over 15 hours at an altitude of 20 kilometers, making it China’s first ‘near-space’ solar drone.
‘Near space’ refers to heights between 20 and 100 km above sea level, where thin air reduces the performance of traditional fuel-burning aircraft engines. By contrast, solar drones can perform well in the outer layer of the earth’s atmosphere and may, in the future, be capable of flying non-stop for months or even longer, according to the Caihong’s lead designer, Li Guangjia.
Solar panels on the Chinese drone’s wings have a span of 45 meters. The latest version’s power efficiency and “multiple mount points” design enable it to carry a variety of weapons, including 50kg cluster bombs. It can also shoot various guided missiles, in all weathers, and conduct precise surgical strikes from near-space heights and over long distances.
The CASC has highlighted the drone’s compatibility with a whole range of missiles and bombs as a major selling point on the international market.
The hit-rate of any guided weapon, be it laser- or satellite-guided, may be undermined by inclement weather conditions or by electronic jamming on certain types of missiles. The CASC believes the latest drone to be able to cope with these challenges, however.
The CH will perform as a “quasi-satellite” and “an airborne Wi-Fi router” in the future, and has the potential to supplant some telecom satellites in replaying data transmission.
CH drones have been sold to militaries in more than 10 countries including Pakistan and Turkmenistan, Xinhua noted.
Um…. If you have pockets loaded with cash, you can spend money like crazy even on crazy and useless product So!
What happens if there is a hot war, will Chinese get involved and others sit idle to shoot down these monster drones with their own killer drones? Well , it seems China likes us to believe that the new China is bigger than Middle Kingdom!
"Wifi Router"???
Uh, Ok ,You know WiFi only goes out to 400 meters, Right??
Will China send its version of the U-2 over Washington DC?
Sorry for the PAIN that this is causing you Perry. I mean I just can’t figure how it’s even possible that you’ve missed the trend that decision makers and war room strategists Generals the world over is headed, 『particularly those of the US and China』 which is that the next battle field WILL NOT BE DICTATED BY Su-25’s, Q-5’s, A-10, or helicopter gunships, it will rather be fought with dime a dozen and very much expendable UAV’s and UCAV’s. Yes, Perry, the battlefield of the future will be dictated by drones rather than costly humanoid personnels.
Seriously?
For a moment there, I thought it was an April Fools’ joke. Someone actually sat down with his laptop and wrote all this garbage? And Asia Times actually agreed to publish the story…, WIFI and all?
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It stays in near space area longer than a month, for area monitoring and data transit purposes.