The Differences Between the American Reaper and Chinese Caihong 5 UCAVs (drones)

China’s newest drone, the Caihong 5, appeared in last night’s huge military parade in Beijing. Chinese media are comparing the Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone to America’s MQ-9 Reaper, which with up to four Hellfire missiles and two 500-lb. precision-guided bombs under its wings is the baddest drone known.

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To the untrained eye the two drones may look a hell of a lot alike. But we hear from experts who cannot be named that the similarities between the Caihong 5 and the Reaper are at best superficial. Our experts work on black drone programs and can’t speak on the record.

The Caihong 5 has both a radome nose and an upward pointing V-tail like the Reaper, and its 66 foot wingspan is exactly the same as the American drone. According to Chinese media, the Caihong 5’s maximum gross takeoff weight is about 6,000 lbs., well below the Reaper’s 10,500 lbs., and Beijing’s Reaper knockoff has a reported maximum payload of 900 kilograms (1,984 lbs.), far less than the MQ-9’s combined payload of 3,000 lbs. external and 850 lbs. internal. The Reaper’s combined payload is about 1,749 kilos, nearly double the Caihong 5’s.

But that tale of the tape is just as superficial as the Caihong 5’s resemblance to the Reaper.

link.