BEIJING – China is unleashing stealth drones and pilot-less aircraft fittedwith AK-47 rifles onto world markets, racing to catch up to Americantechnology and adding to a fleet that has already seen combat action in theMiddle East.
Combat drones were among the jet fighters, missiles and other militaryhardware shown off this week at Airshow China, the country’s biggestaerospace industry exhibition.
A delta-winged stealth drone received much attention, highlighting China’sgrowing production of sophisticated unmanned aerial vehicles seeking tocompete with the United States military’s massive fleet.
The CH-7 — a charcoal-grey UAV unveiled at the air show — is the length ofa tennis court with a 22-metre (72-feet) wingspan. It can fly at more than800 kilometres (500 miles) per hour and at an altitude of 13,000 metres(42,650 feet).In this November 6 file photo, a model of CH-7 HALE Stealth UnmannedReconnaissance Aircraft is seen on display at the Airshow China 2018 inZhuhai, south China’s Guangdong province. — AFP
“We are convinced that with this product clients will quickly contact us,”said Shi Wen, chief engineer of the Caihong (Rainbow) series drones atstate-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC).
The CH-7’s maiden flight is slated for late next year.
CASC has clients in around 10 countries, Shi told *AFP*, while declining toname them. “Some things remain sensitive,” he added.’Competitive prices’
China’s drones are now flying in the Middle East, as Beijing has fewerqualms than the United States when it comes to selling its military UAVs toother nations.
The Iraqi army has used CASC’s CH-4 drone to conduct at least 260 strikesagainst the militant Islamic State group, Chinese media reported earlierthis year.In this November 6 file photo, the Chinese WS-10 Taihang turbofan engine isdisplayed during the Airshow China 2018, in Zhuhai city, south China’sGuangdong province. — AP
In Yemen, where a civil war has sparked what the United Nations calls theworld’s worst humanitarian crisis, the United Arab Emirates military hasreportedly targeted a suspected rebel chief with a Chinese-made drone.
“The Chinese have produced an enormous range of drones, and this seems tobe an area that they expect to make great progress,” said Steve Tsang,director of the China Institute at the School of Oriental and AfricanStudies (SOAS) in London.
“The export and deployment of them should enable them to improve on designas they get tested in a real combat environment,” Tsang said.
The US has plenty of lethal drones, but it has had restrictions onexporting them out of concern that the technology could be copied or usedagainst its own troops.In this November 7 file photo, a model of the CRAIC CR929-600 airliner isdisplayed during the Airshow China 2018, in Zhuhai city, south China’sGuangdong province. — AP
Some of those restrictions were lifted in April for US allies, withPresident Donald Trump’s administration citing competition from Chinese”knockoffs”, but even a solid ally such as Jordan has not been able to buyUS drones.
The US rules gave Beijing the opportunity to fill the void and sell itsdrones to other countries, but China’s “competitive” prices also helped,said James Char, an expert on the Chinese military at Singapore’s NanyangTechnological University.
China has exported its armed UAVs to countries in Asia, Africa and theMiddle East, Char said. – APP/AFP