Click to see full-size image. (Screengrab/Iraqi Ministry of Defense)
The Iraqi military has deployed its CH-5 combat drones, recently acquired from China, at Ain al-Asad Air Base in the western province of al-Anbar, close to the border with Syria.
The deployment was announced by the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, which on February 9 released a video showing Chief of Staff Gen. Abdulamir Rashid Yarallah inspected three of the drones, one on the tarmac and two stored inside one of the temporary aircraft shelters.
Yarallah is also seen in the footage inspecting a ground control station with three seats for mission plan, flight control, and payload control
In a brief statement, the ministry said that Yarallah was “briefed on the operational readiness of the Chinese-made CH-5 drones,” adding that the “reconnaissance and combat aircraft will be fully prepared to support the army, and its importance in raising the level of readiness.”
It is still unclear if the drones were deployed before or after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Ain al-Assad, which was concluded on January 18.
The Iraqi purchase of the CH-5, developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), was first reported in 2023. The next year, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command confirmed the deal.
With a wingspan of 21 meters, the CH-5 has a payload of 1,000 kg, a maximum takeoff weight of over three tones, a service ceiling of nine kilometers, and an endurance of 60 hours. The drone has an operational range of around 250 kilometers with line-of-sight communication, and up to 10,000 kilometers with a satellite data-link.
One of the drones that appeared in the recent footage from Ain al-Assad, the one that was situated on the tarmac, was notably armed with four AR-1 missiles, also made by CASC.
The AR-1 weighs 45 kg with a ten kg shaped-charge warhead capable of penetrating over 1,000 mm of armor. The missile, which is guided by a semi-active laser, has a range of ten kilometers.
The drone, which has six hardpoints, can also carry the AR-2, which is a lighter version of the AR-1. It weighs just 20 kg, with a range of eight kilometers.
The CH-5 is the second drone from CASC’s Rainbow series to enter service with the Iraqi military. The first was the smaller CH-4, which the country received from China in 2015, at the height of the war on ISIS. These drones remained out of service for lack of maintenance for a long period before being reactivated in 2022 after a deal with CASC.
The Iraqi military began deploying large reinforcements along the border with Syria last month as the forces of the Islamist-led government there began advancing against Kurdish fighters on the other side. The offensive saw many ISIS prisoners getting freed or escaping, which led to worries in Baghdad.
Ain al-Assad is located around 150 kilometers away from the border, which means that even with line-of-sight communications, Iraqi CH-5 will be able to keep an eye on everything happening there and respond, if necessary, with precision fire.
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they are using windows xp for control this drones ???
putler’s bitch bashar al-assad was never a real man like his brother bassel and his father hafez. in the end, both bashar al-assad and putler turned out to be traitors, and if isis kills maliki, all the blame will fall on them. dump perfectly brought isis back to life because dump is the giant bitch.
what the hell are you barking about?
he’s putting in his duty .filling space .he knows he can say anything and they’ll publish it .
both the ayatollah and putler know that isis is going to kill maliki, but because they are disgusting and gender-swapped whores, they don’t care.
ramses really .try.at least to make some effort .i realise you’re very comfortable with your role and relationship with sf as their primary representative spokesperson pushing their little red wheel barrow ,but it’s transparency lacks any entertainment value .