CH-4 Rainbow

China's export workhorse medium-altitude long-endurance combat drone — a lower-cost MALE UCAV that has seen extensive combat with Middle Eastern and African customers, delivering persistence and precision strike without the restrictions of Western systems.

Overview

The CH-4 Rainbow, known in Chinese as Caihong-4, is a piston-engine medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle (MALE UCAV) developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's CALT-Rainbow division. Marketed as a cost-effective alternative to the American MQ-9 Reaper, the CH-4 has become the most combat-blooded Chinese export drone, flown by Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, and a growing list of African and Asian operators. Its twin-boom, pusher-propeller configuration, long-endurance reconnaissance ability, and compatibility with satellite communications make it a persistent armed overwatch platform tailored for counter-insurgency and low-intensity conflicts.

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