Chinese UAV News & Discussions (Strictly)

[Kompromat]

I won't be so quick to dismiss the possibility of a recovery system.

Something like this in WW2, but unmanned

View attachment 394609

They are direct impact weapon, which mean you shoot it straight into a ship instead of function like a normal torpedo (although the Ohka (above) have a 1.2 ton torpedo warhead in it)



Don't think you can recover that, the warhead looks like they are build in the fuselage, and lacking recovery equipment (Wheel, camera and radar antenna) mean they are mostly unrecoverable, like a fire and forget type weapon.

 

[cirr]

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...rface-skimming-anti-ship-drone-missile-hybrid

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26382/china-sea-skimming-anti-ship-drone/

 

[onebyone]

China developing wing in ground effect drone
brian wang | May 6, 2017 |

China is developing a new drone that uses ground effect technology to skim the surface of the ocean, allowing it to fly just eighteen inches off the water. The unmanned vehicle could be a challenging opponent for potential adversaries, some of whom would find it difficult to detect.

The new ultra-low altitude anti-ship unmanned system can fly as low as 50 cm above the sea, can reach a maximum altitude of 3,000 km, along with an endurance of 1.5 hours – depending on the flight profile. The maximum take-off weight (MTOW) is 3000 kilograms and can carry a 1000 kg load.

http://www.nextbigfuture.com/2017/05/china-developing-wing-in-ground-effect-drone.html

 

[grey boy 2]

Wing loong II at the https://www.f-airmexico.com.mx/2017/en/ (进军拉美市场！中国翼龙无人机亮相墨西哥航展)

 

[samsara]

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...rface-skimming-anti-ship-drone-missile-hybrid

http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a26382/china-sea-skimming-anti-ship-drone/

China Is Building a Sea-Skimming Anti-Ship Drone

Unnamed drone can fly less than 0.6 meter above the surface of water.

Popular Mechanics - 2017-05-04

CD老天 via @xinfengcao 20170502​

China is developing a new drone that uses ground effect technology to skim the surface of the ocean, allowing it to fly just eighteen inches - 45.7 cm off the water. The unmanned vehicle could be a challenging opponent for potential adversaries, some of whom would find it difficult to detect.

The drone first appeared on Chinese corners of the internet and quickly spread to Russian and western defense blogs. The drone appears to have a set of forward canards and a pair of upward swept wings. It has an air intake on top instead of the bottom, perhaps to avoid sea spray from being sucked into the engine at very low altitude. It is also painted in blue Chinese Navy camouflage.

Most modern cruise missiles are what are called "sea-skimmers," flying thirty feet (9 meters) or less above the surface of the water in order to avoid detection. The curvature of the Earth means sea skimming shortens the distance that enemy ship radars can detect it, giving the defender less time to shoot it down. Here's a short video about the American Harpoon anti-ship missile, which is considered a sea-skimmer.

The new unnamed drone, by comparison, is claimed to fly just 18 inches (45.7 cm) above the surface of the water. Against typical sea skimmers, a ship radar thirty feet (app. 9 meters) above sea level would detect the incoming missile at 15.4 miles (24.8 km). The same radar would only detect the Chinese drone at 9.48 miles (15.26 km). A drone flying that close to the ground won't be flying supersonic, and by appearances the UAV has a turbofan engine. Assuming a speed of 600 miles (965.6 km) an hour, typical for subsonic anti-ship missiles, an enemy ship would have 59 seconds to react.

The drone can fly this low thanks to the ground effect principle, which takes place when very low flying aircraft experience more lift and less drag due to the presence of the ground underneath. The ground blocks the trailing vortices of the wing and decreases downwash. Further evidence that the drone takes advantage of ground effect is its low-wing design, where the wing root is at the bottom of the fuselage, a common feature among ground effect vehicles.

The drone has an estimated flying time of 1.5 hours, which at 600 miles (965.6 km) an hour would give it a 900 mile (1,448.4 km) range. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds (2.72 tonnes) and a maximum payload—likely a blast fragmentation warhead—of 2,000 pounds (907 kgs). That's the average size of warheads the Soviet Union fielded during the Cold War to take out American aircraft carriers—that is, if when weren't fielding nuclear warheads.

One possible concept of operation for the drone would be to place them in shore batteries on islands or Chinese Navy ships. A friendly manned aircraft, such as Y-8X maritime patrol aircraft or high altitude unmanned aerial vehicle, detects the enemy fleet and provides targeting data. Once launched, the aircraft or drone can continue to provide updated targeting data, allowing the anti-ship drones to operate with radars off. This gives them a better chance of sneaking up on the enemy, as radar is another means by which incoming missiles can be detected.

How effective would this be against the U.S. Navy? It's difficult to say, but against carrier battle groups—the drone's primary target—there are already the ingredients for an effective defense. The Navy's Naval Integrated Fire Control - Counter Air (NIFC-CA) extends the sensor range of carrier battle groups by using the radar onboard the E-2D Hawkeye aircraft. Flying at 30,000 feet (9.144 km), a Hawkeye can theoretically detect the drone at 215 miles (346 km), provided it can pick it out from surface clutter such as wavetops. This increases the defender's reaction time from 59 seconds to more than 20 minutes. The E-2D can also provide targeting data to SM-6 surface to air missiles launched to take out the incoming drones. Furthermore, the E-2D will also pick up any Chinese asset providing targeting data to the drones, whether they be ships, manned aircraft, drones, or possibly even submarine masts.

No word yet on when the drone enters service.

 

[The SC]

What's the Deal With China's Surface Skimming Anti-Ship Drone-Missile Hybrid?
Posted on 5/5/2017, 5:01:08 PM by sukhoi-30mki

The news that China is working on an anti-ship drone-missile hybrid of sorts has been bouncing around social media as of late, after a photo and details about the weapon surfaced recently. The system is centered around a wing-in-ground-effect optimized airframe—a concept made famous by the Soviet Union's enigmatic Ekranoplans, and in particular, the giant Caspian Sea Monster. Ground effect craft can efficiently skim very low over the ground at high speeds by leveraging the decreased drag and increased lift that occurs as a result of an aircraft's wings interacting with the air directly above the planet's surface.

Although some were quick to think this weapon system is some sort of an elaborate unmanned combat air vehicle, that is almost certainly not the case. It seems pretty clear that it is far more expendable missile than anything else. After being launched from a shore battery, it would likely skim out to a target area at relatively high speed and very-low altitude.

Then its onboard radar seeker would search for and prosecute an end-game attack solution of its target much like a standard anti-ship cruise missile. It would then slam into a ship and detonate what would be a far larger payload of explosives than a traditional anti-ship missile would carry.

The weapon is supposedly designed to fly as low as three feet above the water's surface for an hour and a half, and deliver a whopping 2,200-pound explosive payload onto its target. Overall, the weapon weighs 6,600 lbs fully loaded. The system's seeker, engine, and possibly other components like its navigation system are likely ported over from existing, reliable anti-ship missile systems, such as the C-602/YJ-62, C-704, C-802/YJ-8 series of missiles.

So where does this type of system fit in with China's overall anti-access/area-denial strategy? First off, it offers yet another threat layer to China's multi-tiered naval defense capability, while at the same time being not too dissimilar to its existing shore-based anti-ship missile defenses. Where this system differentiates itself is likely in its range, payload—and to some degree, its detectability during its midcourse phase of flight.

The Soviet Union's Ekranoplans, and especially the Caspian Sea Monster, have elevated the once obscure technology to near mythical levels:

Because the system blends unmanned air vehicle, missile, and wing-in-ground-effect concepts, it can use lift to drastically increase its range and increase its overall size and load carrying capability compared to its traditional missile counterparts. This means more fuel and a larger explosive payload can be carried.

Most importantly, normal anti-ship missiles fly anywhere from low to high altitudes during their flight out to the target area, before dropping down to very low altitude for their terminal attack run—skimming over the horizon at their target and thus giving said target's defenses little time to react. This hybrid system would presumably stay at extremely low altitude throughout its entire flight profile following launch. Although the air is thick at low altitudes and drag is high, the wing-in-ground-effect design overcomes that drawback by providing copious amounts of lift and a "cushion" of air below the craft as it rips across the ocean's surface.

By staying so low throughout its flight, this missile-drone of sorts would remain harder to detect than higher-flying traditional missile systems, as it could consistently hide from radar among the reflective clutter of the ocean's surface. Massive leaps in radar capabilities have been realized in recent years, especially when it comes to active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar sets' "look-down/shoot-down" abilities. These technological leaps have made it much easier for fighters and airborne early warning and control aircraft to detect very-low flying targets—but depending on the situation and the combat environment, the tactic of flying low still offers a substantial added degree of survivability.

Additionally, not all combat aircraft are equipped with active electronically scanned array radar systems that excel in this unique niche. For older pulse Doppler radar sets, detecting and successfully shooting down very low-flying targets with small radar signatures can be extremely challenging. So for this new weapon system, staying not just low but a mere handful of feet above the waves at any given time throughout its flight profile means it stands a better chance of remaining undetected—or at the very least, unengaged—than normal anti-ship missile systems.

Range is probably the biggest benefit of such a system. Where a normal shore defense system's cruise missile could fly out 100 or 200 miles, this thing could potentially reach distances of double or even triple that. With a 1.5-hour endurance, even if the system is only capable of say 300 miles per hour, that would give it a range of 450 miles. If the craft can reach higher speeds, say 500 miles per hour, that range increases drastically to 750 miles. That gives China a fairly potent( although lower-end) anti-access weapon system for contending navies to deal with during a time of conflict.

There is also the swarm factor. Although a sea-skimming threat that flies at subsonic speeds is not a high-end capability for well-defended surface combatants to deal with, if used as part of a larger anti-access strategy, it could be deadly. These missile-drones are not super high-tech craft and are likely comparatively cheap to manufacture, so China could potentially sling dozens or even hundreds of them in a large volley at a known area where enemy naval assets are lurking. Combined with aircraft, ship and submarine launched anti-ship weaponry, as well as China's budding anti-ship ballistic missile capabilities, even the most well armed naval armadas—like a US carrier strike group—would likely be overwhelmed with targets to engage. Considering how low this system stays throughout its flight profile, it would be challenging to engage many of them at standoff ranges. As a result, "leakers" could get through....and with 2,200 lbs of explosives onboard, just one of these things could do a huge amount of damage to a targeted combat vessel.

At shorter ranges, say less than 200 miles from a coastline, traditional shore-based anti-ship missiles would be added to this threat cocktail. For instance, this weapon system may be very hard to deal with in the Taiwan Strait combat environment, and it may be able to be modified to attack fixed coastal targets as well as ships at sea. Depending on its performance capabilities, it may even be able to climb out of ground effect and bombard targets located inland, although it would be far more vulnerable during that type of end-game flight profile.

So yes, even this fairly basic, lower-performance hybrid anti-ship drone-missile system could prove to be a credible threat if paired with the right tactics. Above all else, it is yet another reminder of China's quest to build an impenetrable anti-access/area-denial fortress within the naval domain that reaches out far from its shores. This system would help make up the lower end of this overall strategy; traditional anti-ship missiles, both subsonic and supersonic, would make up the middle end, while anti-ship ballistic missiles and continued heavy investments in hypersonic technologies would make up up its high end.

China is not alone in a revived interest in wing-in-ground-effect capabilities. Iran has actually designed a far lower-end anti-ship system that leverages a similar concept, and it won't likely be their last. And Russia, historically the biggest believers in wing-in-ground-effect concepts, is also showing renewed interest in the technology. Who knows, maybe Moscow will follow China's lead and make a blended wing-in-ground-effect unmanned aircraft and missile concept of their own in the not-so-distant future.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3550386/posts

 

[Deino]

Guys ... we have a dedicated UAV-thread !!! PLEASE....

Deino

 

[samsara]

What's the Deal With China's Surface Skimming
Anti-Ship Drone-Missile Hybrid?​

Could this emerging weapon system become yet another effective threat layer in China's ever-expanding anti-access/area-denial maritime bubble?​

By Tyler Rogoway - The Drive - May 4, 2017

The news that China is working on an anti-ship drone-missile hybrid of sorts has been bouncing around social media as of late, after a photo and details about the weapon surfaced recently. The system is centered around a wing-in-ground-effect optimized airframe—a concept made famous by the Soviet Union's enigmatic Ekranoplans, and in particular, the giant Caspian Sea Monster. Ground effect craft can efficiently skim very low over the ground at high speeds by leveraging the decreased drag and increased lift that occurs as a result of an aircraft's wings interacting with the air directly above the planet's surface.

Although some were quick to think this weapon system is some sort of an elaborate unmanned combat air vehicle, that is almost certainly not the case. It seems pretty clear that it is far more expendable missile than anything else. After being launched from a shore battery, it would likely skim out to a target area at relatively high speed and very-low altitude. Then its onboard radar seeker would search for and prosecute an end-game attack solution of its target much like a standard anti-ship cruise missile. It would then slam into a ship and detonate what would be a far larger payload of explosives than a traditional anti-ship missile would carry.

The weapon is supposedly designed to fly as low as three feet (0.91 meter) above the water's surface for an hour and a half, and deliver a whopping 2,200-pound (998 kilograms) explosive payload onto its target. Overall, the weapon weighs 6,600 lbs (2,994 kgs) fully loaded. The system's seeker, engine, and possibly other components like its navigation system are likely ported over from existing, reliable anti-ship missile systems, such as the C-602/YJ-62, C-704, C-802/YJ-8 series of missiles.

So WHERE does this type of system fit in with China's overall anti-access/area-denial strategy? First off, it offers yet another threat layer to China's multi-tiered naval defense capability, while at the same time being not too dissimilar to its existing shore-based anti-ship missile defenses. Where this system differentiates itself is likely in its range, payload—and to some degree, its detectability during its midcourse phase of flight.

The Soviet Union's Ekranoplans, and especially the Caspian Sea Monster, have elevated the once obscure technology to near mythical levels:

Because the system blends unmanned air vehicle, missile, and wing-in-ground-effect concepts, it can use lift to drastically increase its range and increase its overall size and load carrying capability compared to its traditional missile counterparts. This means more fuel and a larger explosive payload can be carried.

Most importantly, normal anti-ship missiles fly anywhere from low to high altitudes during their flight out to the target area, before dropping down to very low altitude for their terminal attack run—skimming over the horizon at their target and thus giving said target's defenses little time to react. This hybrid system would presumably stay at extremely low altitude throughout its entire flight profile following launch. Although the air is thick at low altitudes and drag is high, the wing-in-ground-effect design overcomes that drawback by providing copious amounts of lift and a "cushion" of air below the craft as it rips across the ocean's surface.

By staying so low throughout its flight, this missile-drone of sorts would remain harder to detect than higher-flying traditional missile systems, as it could consistently hide from radar among the reflective clutter of the ocean's surface. Massive leaps in radar capabilities have been realized in recent years, especially when it comes to active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar sets' "look-down/shoot-down" abilities. These technological leaps have made it much easier for fighters and airborne early warning and control aircraft to detect very-low flying targets—but depending on the situation and the combat environment, the tactic of flying low still offers a substantial added degree of survivability.

Additionally, not all combat aircraft are equipped with active electronically scanned array radar systems that excel in this unique niche. For older pulse Doppler radar sets, detecting and successfully shooting down very low-flying targets with small radar signatures can be extremely challenging. So for this new weapon system, staying not just low but a mere handful of feet above the waves at any given time throughout its flight profile means it stands a better chance of remaining undetected—or at the very least, unengaged—than normal anti-ship missile systems.

Range is probably the biggest benefit of such a system. Where a normal shore defense system's cruise missile could fly out 100 or 200 miles (161 or 322 kilometers), this thing could potentially reach distances of double or even triple that. With a 1.5-hour endurance, even if the system is only capable of say 300 miles (483 kilometers) per hour, that would give it a range of 450 miles (724 kilometers). If the craft can reach higher speeds, say 500 miles (805 kilometers) per hour, that range increases drastically to 750 miles (1,207 kilometers). That gives China a fairly potent (although lower-end) anti-access weapon system for contending navies to deal with during a time of conflict.

There is also the swarm factor. Although a sea-skimming threat that flies at subsonic speeds is not a high-end capability for well-defended surface combatants to deal with, if used as part of a larger anti-access strategy, it could be deadly. These missile-drones are not super high-tech craft and are likely comparatively cheap to manufacture, so China could potentially sling dozens or even hundreds of them in a large volley at a known area where enemy naval assets are lurking. Combined with aircraft, ship and submarine launched anti-ship weaponry, as well as China's budding anti-ship ballistic missile capabilities, even the most well armed naval armadas—like a US carrier strike group—would likely be overwhelmed with targets to engage. Considering how low this system stays throughout its flight profile, it would be challenging to engage many of them at standoff ranges. As a result, "leakers" could get through....and with 2,200 lbs (998 kgs) of explosives onboard, just one of these things could do a huge amount of damage to a targeted combat vessel.

China's far more traditional C-602 anti-ship missile in action:

At shorter ranges, say less than 200 miles (322 kilometers) from a coastline, traditional shore-based anti-ship missiles would be added to this threat cocktail. For instance, this weapon system may be very hard to deal with in the Taiwan Strait combat environment, and it may be able to be modified to attack fixed coastal targets as well as ships at sea. Depending on its performance capabilities, it may even be able to climb out of ground effect and bombard targets located inland, although it would be far more vulnerable during that type of end-game flight profile.

So yes, even this fairly basic, lower-performance hybrid anti-ship drone-missile system could prove to be a credible threat if paired with the right tactics. Above all else, it is yet another reminder of China's quest to build an impenetrable anti-access/area-denial fortress within the naval domain that reaches out far from its shores. This system would help make up the lower end of this overall strategy; traditional anti-ship missiles, both subsonic and supersonic, would make up the middle end, while anti-ship ballistic missiles and continued heavy investments in hypersonic technologies would make up up its high end.

China is not alone in a revived interest in wing-in-ground-effect capabilities. Iran has actually designed a far lower-end anti-ship system that leverages a similar concept, and it won't likely be their last. And Russia, historically the biggest believers in wing-in-ground-effect concepts, is also showing renewed interest in the technology. Who knows, maybe Moscow will follow China's lead and make a blended wing-in-ground-effect unmanned aircraft and missile concept of their own in the not-so-distant future.

 

[星海军事]

This is merely one model of the large CH family. Why make such a big fuss over it?

 

[samsara]

It’s rumored Sharp Sword will be inducted into service.

https://twitter.com/x/status/861894050311426048

The true face of the UCAV "Sharp Sword"

https://twitter.com/x/status/861793057699758080

China reveals 'Sharp Sword' stealth drone that can carry two TONNES of bombs

• Drone has two internal bomb bays that could carry payload of about 4,400lbs
• Uses non-afterburning turbofan engine with serpentine inlet to mask from radar
• Sharp Sword could enter service as soon as 2019-2020 for numerous purposes

By Cheyenne Macdonald For Dailymail.com

PUBLISHED: 18:56 EST, 18 January 2017 | UPDATED: 19:27 EST, 18 January 2017

China has revealed a stealth drone dubbed ‘Sharp Sword’ that that could be capable of dropping more than 4,000 pounds of bombs. The unmanned aerial vehicle won second place in China’s National Science and Technology Advancement Prizes


The stealthy unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) is being touted a huge win for Chinese aviation technology, Popular Science reports.

It was built by Aviation Industry Corporation of China, and is equipped with two internal bomb bays.

This could carry a payload of roughly 4,400 pounds.

The 33-foot-long Sharp Sword craft has a wingspan of roughly 46 feet, and uses a non-afterburning WS-13 turbofan engine with serpentine inlet to mask it from enemy radar.

Sharp Sword first flew in November 2013, and has a similar appearance to a small B-2 flying wing bomber and the American X-47B.

And, a second, stealthier version may have begun flight tests last year, according to Popular Science.

These craft are able to pack the same amount of payload inside as a manned vehicle, but within a smaller space.

It was built by Aviation Industry Corporation of China, and is equipped with two internal bomb bays. This could carry a payload of roughly 4,400 pounds

They also have a longer range.

The craft could one day be used to for ‘first through the door’ combat missions against high-value targets, or act as an aerial tanker for other craft, according to Popular Science.

Just a few months ago, China unveiled its most powerful drone bomber, which can fly for two days without refuelling within a range of 15,000 miles.

The CH-5 unmanned aerial vehicle, China's largest combat drone, made its first flight last year and appears to be based on the US MQ-9 reaper.

But it was been made public for the first time at a military air show in the southern city of Zhuhai.

It is capable of carrying smart bombs, missiles and high-tech radar jammers, The Daily Star reports.

AsiaOne reportedly described the weapon as 'One of the most powerful unmanned combat aircraft in the world.'

Chief designer Shi Wen added: 'Several foreign nations have expressed intentions to purchase the CH-5 and we are in talks with them.'

The weapon was revealed during a major airshow in China which included the unveiling of the country's J-20 stealth fighter.

It was the latest sign of the growing sophistication of the China's military technology.

At least six prototypes have been produced, according to an annual report on the Chinese military issued by the Pentagon this year.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencet...Sharp-Sword-drone-carry-two-TONNES-bombs.html

 

[beijingwalker]

China Is Building a Sea Skimming Anti Ship Drone

 

[Makarena]

that is not the drone, somebody posted it already in the UAV section if I'm not mistaken

 

[samsara]

that is not the drone, somebody posted it already in the UAV section if I'm not mistaken

Nope, it's a drone as well as a missile!

A ground-effect surface skimming anti-ship Drone-Missile Hybrid!

The article by Tyler Rogoway, a few posts above, explains the best.

 

[Deino]

A better image ...

 

[cirr]

This is merely one model of the large CH family. Why make such a big fuss over it?

Are you refering to the group of drones under develpment at the 11th academy of CASC that, taken together, will form the backbone of the swarming tactics for future combat missions?