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Some 150 middle school students had a chance to take a close look at the Caihong [rainbow] series unmanned aerial vehicles – China's most popular UAVs on the export market – at the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) on April 24, 2016, the country's first-ever National Day of Space Flight.

A CH-5 UAV is on display at the CAAA on April 24, China's first National Day of Space Flight. [Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn]

The students from Beijing Yungang Middle School affiliated to the Capital Normal University were briefed on the basic information of the CH-3, CH-4 and CH-5 UAVs, including its design parameters, applications in geological surveillance and antiterrorism warfare, and were later guided on a tour of the aerospace wind tunnels during the CAAA's Open Day. The organization was hoping to bring aerospace science closer to the public.

Caihong UAVs are CAAA's star products, their success being built on their outstanding aerodynamic characteristics, a strength of the CAAA. The national aerospace institute has tested almost all of China's aerospace vehicles, and the experience has benefited the development of aeronautic vehicles such as the Caihong drones.

Among the Caihong series, CH-4 enjoys the most rapidly rising fame, as online videos has demonstrated their effectiveness against regional terrorism in the Middle East and Africa. The chief engineer of Caihong series, Shi Wen, told the students that the increasing coverage on CH-4 reflected its popularity on the international market principally because of its practicality and cost-effectiveness.

"We tend to make flight control and payload control simple, and avoid redundant functions, even at the cost of some payload and speed, so that our customers, both from the military and civil sectors, are drawn to buy our products," said Shi.

Caihong drones use piston engines, which feature a lower speed and are seemingly obsolete than the more advanced turboprop engines, which their international rival U.S. MQ-1 Predator drones are equipped with. But Shi Wen explained that Caihong's engine choice was better for the missions it's designed for – mostly geological and maritime exploration as well as the close-range, aerial combat support in regional warfare. In such operation environments, altitude or speed are not as important as endurance.

"Lower speed may even be an advantage," Shi said, explaining that lower speed makes a drone able to hover above an area longer, which is helpful in gathering more data or attacking enemy targets more efficiently.

UAVs are most efficient in the airspace between 5,000 to 6,000 meters, where power loss against the altitude is optimal. At such an altitude, a piston engine is twice as efficient as a turboprop engine in terms of airborne endurance, according to Shi. He also responded to concerns about the risk of being shot by missiles by saying that the altitude of 8,000 meters is "equally dangerous" as 5,000 meters, implying that flying too high is not necessarily an advantage of a drone, even in military uses.

Apart from endurance and effectiveness, accessibility, including the user-friendly interface of flight and payload controls, is another reason for Caihong's international popularity, according to Shi. He said that one month is enough to train a Caihong pilot, who is not necessarily capable of flying a manned aircraft.

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