Click to see full-size image. (Screengrab/Iraqi Ministry of Defense)
The Iraqi Army Aviation Command’s Chinese-made CH-5 combat drones recently deployed at Ain al-Asad Air Base in the western province of al-Anbar conducted a live firing test on February 14.
In a statement, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said that the test was overseen by the Chief of Staff of the Army, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah, and attended by the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, the Commander of the Ground Forces, the Deputy Director of Military Intelligence, and the Director of Technical Equipment.
CH-5 drones fired missiles at realistic targets in the al-Tash area in the western countryside of al-Anbar with “high accuracy” during the test, according to the ministry.
The CH-5 was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). In 2024, the Iraqi Army Aviation Command confirmed that it had purchased an unknown number of these drones.
With a wingspan of 21 meters, the CH-5 has a payload of 1,000 kg, a maximum takeoff weight of over three tons, a service ceiling of nine kilometers, and an endurance of 60 hours. The drone has an operational range of around 250 kilometers with line-of-sight communication, and up to 10,000 kilometers with a satellite data-link.
The footage released by the ministry shows two CH-5 drones, one armed with two AR-1 missiles and four AR-2 missiles, and another armed with four AR-1 missiles and four AR-2 missiles.
The AR-1 weighs 45 kg with a ten kg shaped-charge warhead capable of penetrating over 1,000 mm of armor. The missile, which is guided by a semi-active laser, has a range of ten kilometers.
Meanwhile, the AR-2, a lighter version, weighs just 20 kg, with a range of eight kilometers.
The test footage also shows what appears to be a satellite data-link terminal, which means that the Iraqi CH-5 are capable of operating with the maximum range.
It is still unclear if the drones were deployed at Ain al-Assad before or after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the air base, which was concluded on January 18.
The deployment was, however, linked to a major Iraqi military buildup along the border with Syria. The buildup began last month as the forces of the Islamist-led government in Syria began advancing against Kurdish fighters on the other side. The offensive saw many ISIS prisoners getting freed or escaping, which led to worries in Baghdad.
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