Military drones are on the rise as more countries see their significance in countering terrorism. (Photo : Reuters)
The biggest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) self-developed by China has made its maiden flight in Gansu Province, according to a Beijing Times report on Monday.
The unit, called CH-5, represents a world standard both in size and in weight, the report added. It has a wingspan of 20 meters and has a maximum takeoff weight of three tons.
The UAV's maximum payload is around 900 kilograms, and at low- and medium-altitude it has an endurance of more than 30 hours.
Moreover, the newspaper stated that China's CH-5 is two times larger than the size of its previously crafted counterparts.
According to the state-owned China Central Television (CCTV), the maiden flight was scheduled early in the morning to avoid the so-called "rush hour" for domestic, civil flights.
As programmed, the CH-5 took 20 minutes before it landed smoothly.
The UAV, which is also known as Rainbow5, is the largest reconnaissance and strike drone made by China, as claimed by the Chinese Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
Ou Zhongming, CASC's chief of the CH-5 project, said that the UAV unit will have an impact on how the country will deal with anti-terrorist attacks in the future, citing its heavier loading capacity that allows it to detect terrorists inside buildings or woods.
The CH-5 is also equipped with communication-command devices that can lead a drone fleet, Ou added.
CASC official Lan Wenbo told CCTV that the unit "will increase the range of reconnaissance from 30 kilometers to 80 kilometers, which will discover targets over a longer distance and prevent any danger."
The CH-5 adds surveillance, intelligence gathering, targeting, border patrol, electronic warfare, island defense and anti-terrorism missions in its list of capabilities and tasks.
