Screen grab from the Iraqi MoD video of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah visit to Balad Air Base.
The Iraqi Air Force (IQAF) is working to reactivate the 100th Squadron which operated Chinese-made CASC Rainbow CH-4B combat drones, Iraqi Joint Headquarters Chief of Staff, Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rasheed Yarallah revealed on October 5.
Yarallah made the announcement while visiting Balad Air Base, located to the north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, where he inspected the ongoing perpetrations to reactivate the combat drone squadron.
The CH-4B, which was designed to carry out reconnaissance and compact missions, has an endurance of 30 to 40 hours and an operational range of up to 2,000 with a satellite data-link.
According to the Iraqi commander, CH-4B combat drones will soon be used to carry out strikes on ISIS cells in the country.
The IQAF received an unknown number of CH-4B combat drones from China early in 2015. Back then, the drones were quickly put in use against ISIS which was holding most of Iraq’s northern and western regions.
Iraqi CH-4B combat drones are mainly armed with the Chinese-made AR-1 light weight guided missile which has a range of 8 kilometers and a 10 kg shaped charge warhead. The missile can be equipped with several types of seekers, such as TV, Imaging IR, and semi-active laser homing.
CH-4B drones will provide Iraqi military and security forces, who are combating ISIS cells on several fronts, with better reconnaissance capabilities and rapid air support.
May God help iraq 🙏