Unmanned aircraft of China … According to American intelligence, in 2000, the People's Liberation Army of China had a little more than 100 reconnaissance drones. Approximately 70% of the drones available in the troops were light vehicles with piston engines, designed to conduct reconnaissance in the enemy's near rear, monitor the battlefield and adjust artillery fire. Reconnaissance at a distance of 200-500 km from the front line was to be carried out by UAVs with turbojet engines ChangKong-1 (copy of La-17) and Wuzhen-5 (copy of AQM-34 Firebee). The development of strike-reconnaissance UAVs in the PRC intensified after the American armed forces began to use the MQ-1 Predator UAV in local conflicts in the mid-1990s. In the future, these shock-reconnaissance vehicles and the improved MQ-9 Reaper played an important role in the "war on terror" unleashed by the United States. Chinese intelligence very closely followed the course of the American campaigns in Afghanistan and the Middle East, and a quite logical consequence of this attention was the desire of the PLA command to have drones of a similar class in service.
Since the description of all Chinese drones potentially capable of carrying weapons will take too long, we will consider only those that entered service in a noticeable amount, were exported and took part in hostilities.
UAV ASN-229A
The lightest serial Chinese unmanned vehicle capable of carrying guided missiles is the ASN-229A, created by specialists from the Xian Aisheng Technology Group (ASN UAV). The 365th Research Institute, which is a division of Xi'an Northwestern Polytechnic University, was in the past the main developer of light-class UAVs for the PLA Ground Forces. The corporation produces about 80% of Chinese UAVs. Its specialists have designed more than 15 types of unmanned vehicles.
The ASN-229A UAV is the largest aircraft in the line of drones created by the Chinese corporation, and is intended to replace the ASN-104/105 in service. The main tasks of the drone are aerial reconnaissance, electronic warfare, relaying VHF radio signals and adjusting artillery fire. At the same time, the ASN-229A is capable of delivering pinpoint strikes against small and mobile targets.
The new army unmanned vehicle is built according to a normal aerodynamic configuration with an overhead wing of a large relative aspect ratio and has a two-fin tail. The power plant, located in the aft fuselage, includes a piston engine with a two-bladed pusher propeller. In the nose of the fuselage there is an aiming and survey system with optoelectronic and thermal imaging cameras and a laser rangefinder-designator. Communication and data exchange equipment provides communication with the control station, both at a line-of-sight distance and via a satellite channel. In addition, the device has two underwing suspension units for the AR-1 ATGM. The UAV is launched from a launcher using solid propellant boosters, and the landing is carried out by parachute.
Compared to the previous generation army drones, the mass and dimensions of the ASN-229A have increased significantly. Takeoff weight reaches 800 kg. Wingspan - 11 m, length - 5.5 m. Payload -100 kg. Flight altitude - up to 8000 m. Maximum speed - 220 km / h, cruising speed - 160-180 km / h. Flight duration - up to 20 hours.
Since the ASN-229A surpasses other Chinese drones in range and time in the air, a new control station mounted on a mobile chassis has been created for it. The ASN-229A UAV is used only by the PLA Ground Forces and is not exported.
UAV SN-3A
The first Chinese UAVs capable of approaching the American Predator were designed by specialists from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Development of the Cai Hong series of drones began in the mid-1990s. Initially, the Cai Hong series ("Rainbow") CH-1 and CH-2 were intended for reconnaissance, observation, jamming enemy communication systems, adjusting artillery fire, using as a signal repeater of communication and data transmission systems, as well as issuing target designation to tactical missile complexes. But later, on the basis of the SN-3 UAV, the layout of which was first presented at the exhibition in Zhuhai in 2008, a shock modification of the CH-3A was created.
The UAV CH-3A is made according to the "duck" scheme, which is rarely used for drones of this size, and is equipped with a piston engine with a pushing propeller. Wingspan - 7, 9 m, length - 5, 1 m, height - 2, 4 m. Maximum takeoff weight - 640 kg. Payload mass - 100 kg. Cruising speed - 180 km / h. The maximum speed is 240 km / h. The maximum flight altitude is 5 km. The radius of action is 200 km. Flight range 2000 km. The flight duration is 12 hours.
A gyro-stabilized platform with optoelectronic sighting and search equipment is located under the fuselage. It includes a video camera, an infrared survey system and a laser rangefinder-target designator. Communication and data exchange equipment ensures transmission and reception of control commands only at line-of-sight distance. UAV onboard equipment allows takeoff and landing in a fully automatic mode. They are carried out on an airplane, including from unpaved runways.
There are two suspension assemblies for guided ammunition under the wing. According to Global Security, the new AR-1 laser-guided missiles (45 kg) and FT-25 small-sized guided bombs (25 kg), developed by CASC, are used as a combat load on the CH-3A UAVs. UAV CH-3A can also carry two FT-5 bombs of 75 kg caliber (warhead weight - 35 kg, KVO - 3-5 m) with satellite guidance. In addition, a radar station with an antenna aperture synthesizing, electronic warfare equipment and radio signal relay equipment can be installed as a payload.
Although the CH-3A is inferior in its characteristics to the American MQ-1 Predator UAV and cannot be controlled via satellite communication channels, its combat potential is quite high. UAVs of this type under the designation Rainbow-3 have been delivered to Nigeria, Zambia, Pakistan and Myanmar. In Pakistan, CH-3A was used to fight the Taliban in the "tribal zone", and in Nigeria they were used to attack vehicles and militant training camps. It is reported that the UAV control in Nigeria is carried out by Chinese operators.
On January 26, 2015, in the vicinity of the Nigerian village of Dumge, in the northeastern state of Borno, an unknown unmanned aerial vehicle with guided munitions suspended under its wings was discovered. By the type of wreckage, experts identified it as CH-3A.
Chinese counterparts of the UAVs MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper
Given the wide popularity of the American UAVs MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper, it would be strange if China did not build vehicles that outwardly resemble them. By order of the Ministry of Defense of the People's Republic of China, at the beginning of the 21st century, the development of the CH-4 multipurpose drone with a piston engine and a pusher propeller began. It is a fairly large aircraft with a wingspan of 18 m and a length of 9 m. The take-off weight is about 1300 kg. Maximum speed - 230 km / h, cruising speed - 180 km / h. Flight range 3000 km. The flight duration is more than 30 hours.
The device, which in its configuration resembles the American Predator and Reaper UAVs, is equipped with an under-fuselage gyro-stabilized optoelectronic system with a laser rangefinder-target designator, and in the shock version can carry aviation weapons placed on four pylons under the wing. The reconnaissance version received the designation CH-4A, and the shock version is known as CH-4B. Since a drone with guided missiles and guided bombs with a total mass of up to 345 kg has a higher drag and a reduced fuel reserve, its flight duration is about 40% shorter.
Since 2014, SN-4 UAVs have been exported. With the price of one drone about $ 4 million, the buyers of CH-4A / B are Algeria, Jordan, Iraq, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Myanmar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
In January 2015, Chinese-made drones deployed at Kut airbase were shown on Iraqi television. Ground control stations are also located here. Foreign publications write that, as in Nigeria, Chinese specialists are engaged in the management and maintenance of drones. One control station is capable of simultaneously controlling up to three drones.
Apparently, the SN-4V UAVs operate in Iraq quite effectively. According to information voiced by a representative of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, since January 2015, they have performed more than 300 sorties, almost all of which were successful. Also, Chinese-made UAVs belonging to the UAE and Saudi Arabia were used in Yemen. The drones operated from Sharura and Jizan airbases.
In early 2018, the Chinese newspaper South China Morning Post reported that CASC had exported thirty CH-4Bs in bulk deals totaling $ 700 million. missiles, hitting their targets with a probability of 0.95. In August 2018, it became known that the Houthis opposing the "Arab coalition" shot down a Saudi SN-4V UAV.
Despite the fact that the Chinese CH-4 drones in their characteristics roughly correspond to the MQ-1 Predator UAVs removed from service in the United States and are much inferior to the MQ-9 Reaper, many countries are showing interest in Chinese shock-reconnaissance drones. This is due to the fact that the American authorities impose serious restrictions on the supply of combat drones and control systems, and even the closest US allies cannot always acquire them. Given the fact that Russia is not able to offer anything in this segment, Chinese-made drones, the cost of which is relatively low, turned out to be out of competition.
Improvement and production of UAVs of the CH-4 family continues. In January 2015, an upgraded version of an unmanned aerial vehicle designated as Tian Yi was recorded at an airfield in the vicinity of the city of Chengdu.
According to foreign Internet sources, the UAV received two compact engines instead of one. At the same time, the dimensions of the updated Tian Yi have remained practically unchanged. At the same time, the unit has a new tail unit and nose, as well as a wider air intake. Foreign experts suggest that in this way it was possible to reduce the thermal signature of the drone and increase flight safety.
In March 2018, it became known that the CASC corporation began testing a new modification. Judging by the published images, the CH-4S is capable of carrying a side-looking radar, and is equipped with a more advanced sighting and surveillance system.
It is reported that the CH-4C is equipped with a new engine with increased power and a power generator with increased performance. The strength of the airframe has also been increased, which makes it possible to suspend aviation ammunition weighing up to 100 kg, and the total weight of the combat load has been increased to 450 kg. Taking into account the criticism of the CH-4A and CH-4V models, the CH-4C modification apparatus can be controlled via satellite communication channels, which significantly increases the real range.
Already in the development stage, it was clear that the SN-4 UAV for equipping the PLA could only be an intermediate solution. This device at a relatively low cost, which was about $ 2 million, has a good export potential, but cannot be considered as a promising platform. The main disadvantages of the serial CH-4 are the lack of the ability to control and transmit information via satellite channels, the relatively low speed and flight altitude, as well as the low altitude and flight speed for an apparatus of this class, which is primarily determined by the use of a piston engine. In this regard, even before the adoption of the SN-4 UAV into service at the 11th Institute of the CASC Corporation in 2008, the development of a more advanced drone began. The construction of the first model began in 2011. The unmanned aerial vehicle CH-5 made its first flight in 2016.
In November 2016, at the air show held in Zhuhai, the SN-5 UAV was demonstrated, which many observers called an analogue of the American MQ-9 Reaper. However, the first serial modification was equipped with a 300 hp piston engine, which limits the maximum flight speed to 310 km / h. Cruising speed - 180-210 kmph. Wingspan - 21 m, glider length - 11 m. Takeoff weight - 3300 kg. Payload weight - 1200 kg. The maximum flight altitude is 7000 m. The drone can stay in the air for more than 36 hours. When working with a ground station by radio, the range is 250 km. To control the CH-5, the same ground stations can be used as for the SN-3 and CH-4 UAVs. In the case of using satellite control equipment (SATCOM), the range is increased to 2000 km.
On the sample presented in Zhuhai, mock-ups of AR-1 and AR-2 guided missiles, a total of 16 units, were suspended. A promising compact ATGM with laser guidance AR-2 weighs about 20 kg, warhead weight - 5 kg, maximum firing range - 8 km. In total, 24 AR-2 missiles can be placed on six underwing units. Military experts point out that in the case of a CH-5 UAV suspended under the fuselage of a radar station or electronic reconnaissance equipment, it will be able to use anti-ship and anti-radar missiles.
According to Chinese data, the SN-5 UAV has been put into service and is being mass-produced. The export value is about $ 11 million, which is about 6 million less than the price of the American MQ-9 Reaper. However, the Chinese device with a piston engine is inferior to the "Reaper" in terms of speed and flight altitude, which largely devalues the achievements of Chinese designers. In this regard, in the near future, we should expect the appearance of a new modification of the Chinese drone with a theater operation.
Another analogue of the American Predator is the Wing Loong UAV from the AVIC corporation, also known under the export designation Pterodactyl I. Although a number of drones of this type are operated by the PLA Air Force, this model is mainly produced for export. According to Western experts, "Pterodactyl" is an adapted copy of the American MQ-1 Predator. According to the Chinese designers, this drone is a completely independent development.
UAV Wing Loong is made according to the scheme of a mid-wing with large aspect ratio wings. The empennage is a single V-shaped stabilizer pointing upward from the fuselage (as opposed to the MQ-1 Predator, in which it is directed downward). The engine is located at the rear of the fuselage. It drives a three-blade, variable-pitch pusher propeller. In the forward part of the fuselage under the bottom there is a spherical block of optoelectronic equipment designed for round-the-clock monitoring of the situation in a given area, searching for targets and issuing target designation. The device with a takeoff weight of 1100 kg is equipped with a 100 hp piston engine. and is capable of carrying a payload weighing up to 200 kg. Wingspan - 14 m, length - 9.05 m. Maximum speed - 280 km / h, patrol speed 150-180 km / h. The service ceiling is 5,000 meters. The Pterodactyl's armament, depending on the client's preferences, may include various guided aviation ammunition weighing up to 120 kg.
The drone's arsenal includes 50-100 kg bombs: FT 10, FT 7, YZ 212D, LS 6, CS / BBM1 and GB4, small air-to-ground missiles such as AG 300M, AG 300L, Blue Arrow 7, CM 502KG, GAM 101A / B. The armament is placed on four underwing pylons (75 kg load on the outer pylons and 120 kg on the inner ones).
The first UAV flight Wing Loong made in 2007, in 2013 the Chinese TV channel CCTV 13 showed a story about the serial assembly of Pterodactyl I in the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group workshop (a division of the AVIC aviation industrial corporation). With an export value of about $ 1 million, Pterodactyl is popular with foreign buyers. Currently, the devices of this model have been purchased by: Egypt, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Nigeria, Serbia and the United Arab Emirates. According to China National Aero Technology Import & Export Corp, more than 100 UAVs of this type have been exported as of the end of 2018.
A number of countries have used Pterodactyl I UAVs in combat. In March 2017, the Egyptian Air Force carried out attacks in the north of Sinai as part of an operation against Islamic militants. The target of the laser-guided missiles was buildings with terrorists hiding in them and moving vehicles. At the same time, 18 militants were killed. UAE-owned drones have taken part in hostilities in Yemen and Libya. At the same time, at least one "Pterodactyl" was shot down by anti-aircraft fire in the Libyan area of Misrata.
In 2016, the Wing Loong II UAV was presented to the public at the Airshow China 2016 exhibition. This modification differs from the previous versions by its increased takeoff weight to 4,200 kilograms, larger dimensions and increased flight duration up to 32 hours. The UAV is capable of flying at a speed of 370 km / h at an altitude of up to 9000 m.
The layout of the device is similar to the previous model, but it has become noticeably larger. The wingspan increased by almost one and a half times (up to 20.5 m), and the takeoff weight increased by 3.5 times. According to official information, the new drone has an optimized aerodynamic layout, an improved airframe design and modified on-board systems, as well as a more powerful turboprop engine. In addition to improving flight performance, Wing Loong II has an expanded set of optoelectronic and radio-technical systems and an increased combat load. The mass of weapons, placed on six underwing points of the suspension, increased to 480 kg, and guided bombs GB3 of 250 kg caliber with laser guidance were introduced into the ammunition load.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia struck a $ 10 billion deal for its own production of 300 Wing Loong II. The Pakistan Aircraft Corporation also plans to jointly assemble 48 Wing Loong II with AVIC.
Thus, it can be stated that the Chinese developers were able to reduce to a minimum the gap with the United States in the creation of medium-sized attack reconnaissance unmanned vehicles. At the same time, the cost of UAVs manufactured in China is significantly lower than that of analogues manufactured in other countries. In this regard, it can be expected that Chinese drones capable of carrying a combat load will dominate the international market in the near future. A report released by SIPRI states that China between 2008 and 2018. delivered 163 middle-class multipurpose UAVs to thirteen countries. During the same time period, the United States exported fifteen MQ-9s. American arms makers complain that if things go on like this, their Chinese competitors will dominate.
