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Air ForcesChina

CH-5 (Rainbow-5)

Unmanned aerial vehicleFielded 2015Pending verification
Air ForcesCHN
CH-5 (Rainbow-5)
Photo: Infinty 0 · CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Fact cardConfidence · Source
System
TypeUnmanned aerial vehicle
Date of introduction2015
ProliferationOrigin country only
ManufacturerChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)Med[1]
CrewUnmannedMed[1]
Dimensions and weight
Length9.2 m30 ftMed[1]
Wingspan21 m69 ftMed[1]
Max takeoff weight3,000 kg6,614 lbMed[1]
Flight performance
Thrust / powerCompared to the Garrett TPE331 turboprop engine mounted on the Reaper, CH-5 is equipped with an unidentified turbo-charged piston engine…Med[1]
Range10,000 km6,214 mi · 5,400 nmiMed[1]
Service ceiling9,000 m29,528 ftMed[1]
Endurance60 hoursMed[1]
Armament and payload
Missiles24 x missiles in a single flightMed[1]
Variants
CH-1CH-1 is the first of the Rainbow (CH) series UAVs. The general designer was Mr. Shi Wen (石文), who is also the general designer of CH-2, the successor of CH-1, CASC PW-1, the derivative of CH-1, and CASC PW-2, the derivative of CH-2.[1]
CH-2CH-2 is the second of the Rainbow (CH) series UAVs and is a development of the earlier CH-1, with identical twin-boom layout. As for the CH-1, propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage…[1]
CH-3CH-3 is a fixed wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) of the Rainbow series. The CH-3 adopts an unusual canard layout, similar to the Jetcruzer 450 and the Rutan VariEze.[1]
CH-3ACH-3A is the development of CH-3 and share the identical layout. Improvement of CH-3A over CH-3 includes that the maximum payload is increased to more than 100 kg, and satellite data link is also incorporated.[1]
CH-4Externally, CH-4 looks almost identical to General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, and the only distinct visual difference between two UAVs is that the ventral fin below the V-tail on MQ-9 is absent on CH-4. There are two versions, the CH-4A and CH-4B.[1]
CH-5The CH-5 is the latest UCAV of the Rainbow series, with a wingspan of 21 meters, a payload of 1,000 kg, a maximum takeoff weight of over 3 tones, a service ceiling of 9 km, an endurance of up to 60 hours and a range of 10,000 km.[1]
CH-7The CH-7 is a stealthy flying wing UCAV similar to the X-47B, with a 22m wingspan and 10m length. It can fly at 920 km/h and at an altitude of 13,000m. Endurance is about 15 hours and its operational radius is 2000 kilometers.[1]
CH-10The CH-10 is a tilt-rotor UAV.[1]
Summary

The CH-5 (Rainbow-5) is an unmanned aerial vehicle produced by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, which was unveiled for the first time to the public during Zhuhai Air Show China 2016, said Shi Wen, chief engineer of the Rainbow-5 drone.

Draft entry. Values come from the cited public sources and are awaiting editor verification.
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Operators
China
Sources
  1. CH-5 (Rainbow-5) Chinese Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), U.S. Army TRADOC G-2 Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)
    Published/updated 2026-03-20 · Tier 1 · checked 2026-10-10
Change log
  • 2026-10-10 Entry created from the Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN), bulk import
  • 2026-10-10 Added photo (CC BY-SA 4.0)