Top 10 Chinese Drones

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are radio-remotely controlled unmanned aircraft that are capable of performing tasks beyond the physiological limits of human pilots, such as long-duration flights, highly maneuverable manoeuvres, or operations in adverse weather conditions and on the battlefield. The capabilities of modern UAVs go beyond simple remotely piloted aircraft, and they offer significant advantages in military mission execution.

China has several top models in the field of UAVs, including but not limited to the following ten:

1. Rainbow VII UAV (CH-7):

- Development unit: Eleventh Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

- Characteristics: High-altitude, high-speed, stealthy, long-endurance unmanned reconnaissance and strike system, capable of carrying out a variety of combat missions in high-risk environments.

- Technology: adopts advanced aerodynamics, stealth technology and tailless flight control.

- Parameters: Maximum flight speed of 920 km/h, flight time of 15 hours, combat radius of 2,000 km, maximum flight altitude of 13,000 meters.

2. Divine Eagle Drone:

- Development unit: Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute.

- Features: High-altitude, long-endurance anti-stealth super-large UAV with a wingspan of 50 meters and excellent endurance.

- Technology: It has stealth characteristics and can maintain a cruising speed of Mach 0.8 at an altitude of 25,000 meters.

- Parameters: Maximum takeoff weight of about 20 tons, flight altitude of 25,000 meters, length of 25 meters, wingspan of 50 meters.

3. Shuanglong UAV:

- Development unit: Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation of AVIC, China.

- Features: It adopts a continuous-wing layout, which has the advantages of sturdy structure and strong crashworthiness.

- Parameters: Length 14.33 meters, wingspan 24.86 meters, combat radius 2,000 to 2,500 kilometers, endurance up to 10 hours.

4. Darksword drones:

- Development unit: Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute of China Aviation Industry Corporation.

- Features: supersonic speed, ultra-high maneuverability, low detectability unmanned combat aircraft.

- Technology: Stealth design is better than J-20, with high Mach flight capability and high maneuverability.

5. Rainbow-5 UAV (CH-5):

- Development unit: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

- Characteristics: Medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, capable of mounting a variety of weapons and carrying out tasks such as communication, reconnaissance and jamming.

- Parameters: take-off weight of more than 3 tons, load capacity of about 1 ton, ceiling of 10,000 meters, cruising speed of 180 to 220 km / h, endurance of 40 hours, range of 6500 km.

6. Pterodacty-II UAV:

- Development unit: Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute of the Aviation Industry.

- Features: Equipped with a turboprop engine, the aircraft is capable of long endurance, multi-purpose, inspection and combat.

- Parameters: Length 11 meters, wingspan 20.5 meters, maximum flight altitude 9000 meters, maximum flight speed 370 km/h, maximum take-off weight 4.2 tons.

7. Wind Shadow UAV:

- Development unit: Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute of the Aviation Industry.

- Features: A large stealth unmanned combat aircraft with two engines in the tail and stealth processing.

 8. Cloud Shadow UAV:

- Development unit: Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute of the Aviation Industry.

- Characteristics: High-altitude and high-speed UAV, emphasizing stealth design and equipped with WP-11C turbojet engine for the first time.

- Parameters: 9.05 meters in length, 17.8 meters in wingspan, capable of cruising at 14,000 meters, with a maximum flight speed of 620km/hr.

9. BZK005 UAV:

- Development unit: Jointly designed by Hafei and Beihang.

- Features: Medium- to high-altitude long-range unmanned reconnaissance aircraft with stealth capability and propulsive layout.

10. Rainbow-4 UAV (CH-4):

- Development unit: China Academy of Space Aerodynamic Technology under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

- Characteristics: Medium-range detection and combat drone, capable of mounting precision-guided weapons.

- Parameters: Cruising altitude of 7,000 meters, maximum range of 3,500 kilometers, cruise time of 35 hours.

The development and application of these drones demonstrate China's innovation and progress in the field of drone technology, and they have a wide range of applications in both military and civilian fields.