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China’s new military drone looks just like a U.S. Reaper

Is this a rip-off or just a basic design?

Photo of Mike Wehner

Mike Wehner

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The MQ-9 Reaper drone has become an iconic symbol of advanced U.S. military might, but now China has an answer, and it looks remarkably similar. 

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China's CH-5 Rainbow drone

China’s CH-5 Rainbow drone

china.org.cn

The CH-5 Rainbow debuted this week at a Chinese airshow, with some impressive capabilities. The CH-5 can remain airborne for up to 50 hours—significantly less with its full payload of eight air-to-ground missiles—and a range of over 12,000 miles. 

The U.S. military’s Reaper drone—which used to be called “Predator,” in case you were confused—has a stated endurances of less than 15 hours and a range of just over 1,100 miles. That’s a huge shortfall compared to the Chinese version, despite the fact that the Rainbow uses an antiquated piston engine, while the Reaper relies on more advanced turboprop propulsion. 

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As far as the CH-5’s stunning resemblance to the Reaper, the Chinese designers who crafted it claim that it’s not a copy and that its aerodynamics are too basic to be considered a rip-off. 

H/T Motherboard

 
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