China Is Getting Involved In The Drone-Making Industry

(Republicaninformer.com)- A report from the Chinese state-run propaganda outlet “Global Times” claimed production of China’s CH drones is “running at maximum capacity” due to “heavy market demand” and a new production line will be fully operational next year to meet that demand.

In its report last Wednesday, the outlet boasted that the Airshow China event held from November 8 to 13 will include the rollout of the CH series of armed reconnaissance drones, including the CH-4 which has been upgraded “with a domestically developed heavy-fuel engine.”

The new engine will give the CH-4 “longer endurance,” “longer range,” and “a higher cruise altitude and ceiling.” The drone will also be able to accommodate a larger payload.

According to “Global Times,” the latest version of China’s CH-5 drone is designed for “maritime applications.” The CH-5 is capable of detecting “information on the sea surface and underwater.”

The CH-7, meanwhile, is a “high-end drone” capable of high altitude, speed, and endurance.  With its stealth capabilities, the CH-7 will be capable of conducting reconnaissance missions “without opponents becoming aware of it,” the report claims.

The CH series also includes the less expensive CH-3, a tilt-rotor CH-10, and a solar-powered drone, CH-T4.

Currently, the biggest-selling drone on the world market is the Bayraktar TB-2, produced by the Turkish manufacturer Baykar.

Baykar recently reported a 3-year order backlog for its popular drones. While they are relatively inexpensive, the Baykar drones have performed extremely well in Ukraine as well as Syria, Libya, and Nagorno-Karabakh.

In September, the United Arab Emirates joined Baykar’s growing list of customers, seeking to purchase its drones after seeing how well they performed against UAE-backed forces in Libya.

Iran was caught supplying Russia with Shahed suicide drones and Mohajer armed drones. The Russians have made fairly effective use of them in Ukraine, despite the Iranian weapons being outclassed by Ukraine’s Baykar’s drones.