BEIJING: The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, one of the country’s top makers of unmanned military aircraft, has sold more than 200 midsize and large combat drones to over 10 nations, greatly facilitating wars against terrorists, according to a senior manager.
Wang Zhaokui, one of the Beijing-based academy’s executives in charge of unmanned aircraft business, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that since the first delivery to a foreign customer in 2003, the Caihong, or Rainbow, combat drones have been widely deployed across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and have played a crucial role in counterterrorism operations.
The pilotless planes have accumulated nearly 70,000 hours in combat actions from nearly 12,000 sorties, and have fired more than 2,000 munitions, boasting a 98.2-percent successful hit rate, he said.
“The Caihong-series planes have been called ‘sharp weapons for counterterrorism operations’ by our foreign clients. Our drones have earned China about $2 billion,” Wang noted.
The most popular model in the Caihong family is the CH-4, the executive said, noting that more than 100 CH-4s have been delivered to foreign military users, and that means the model is China’s bestselling unmanned combat aircraft on the international market.
“One of our customers in the Middle East bought a large number of CH-4s and used them in battles with armed terrorists. The commander of that nation’s army aviation force has spoken highly of our products. He told us that the CH-4 model, which is over 30 percent cheaper than Western-made drones of the same type, has very good capabilities that have been proven through combat operations.
“The commander said he was very much satisfied with the CH-4’s outstanding performance and our support staff’s excellent service, which met their defense needs and ensured their victory,” Wang recalled.
“Before placing their order for the CH-4, the military procurement authorities of that country had carried out comprehensive market research by analyzing and comparing products from the United States, Europe, Israel and Russia. And at the end, they chose ours because the CH-4 is the ‘best buy’ and has the best cost performance.”
He pointed out that one of the CH-4s deployed in another Middle East nation flew more than 3,000 hours in its service life and completed a long list of strike tasks, which testified to the model’s quality and durability.
The executive added that militaries in the Middle East are major buyers of the Caihong-series drones and they have been sending the Chinese planes to fight terrorists for many years.
Wang’s academy is a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, a leading space and defense contractor in the country.
The academy started researching and developing the CH drones in 1999 after its engineers realized that their expertise in aerodynamics and missile design could also be used on unmanned aircraft.
Since then, the research complex has established a large portfolio of military drones, ranging from small models for battlefield reconnaissance to a big stealth version capable of penetrating an enemy’s air defense network.
“Our drones feature low operational and maintenance costs and better performance compared with similar types from the West. They have combat-tested capabilities. They are easy to use and convenient to maintain. Moreover, we always follow a set of customer-centered culture and strategies,” Wang said. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
