Last year the Iraqi military took delivery of three Chinese CH-4 Cai Hong drones , an aircraft that, according to its creators, is better than the American MQ-1B Predator . That claim is now being put to the test as the drones carry out strikes against ISIS with bombs and laser-guided missiles.

The CH-4s are flying from Al-Hayy airbase in support of operations in Anbar province, site of Ramadi and Fallujah, where heavy fighting has been taking place. A recent Iraqi video (warning: graphic combat footage) shows four drone strikes, and claims that the drones destroyed one suicide car bomb before it could be used, two other vehicles carrying fighters, and a covered trench occupied by ISIS.

The Cai Hong-4 ( "Rainbow 4") was developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the nation's leading military drone makers. It first flew in 2011. While it bears some resemblance to the Predator, it is larger, with a wingspan of 60 feet and a maximum take-off weight of 3,000 lbs., compared to the 50-foot wingspan and 2,250 lbs. of the Predator. This gives it a payload 750 lbs. and an endurance of 38 hours, compared to 450 pounds and 24 hours for the Predator.

CASC

The CH-4s in Iraq are armed with a mixture of missiles and bombs. The laser-guided AR-1 is China's answer to the Hellfire, but is slightly faster—it's supersonic rather than subsonic, so it cannot be heard until it hits. The FT-9 is a 100-lb. satellite-guided bomb with a claimed accuracy of better than 15 feet. The makers deny that it relies on the American-built GPS system, so the weapons may use the Russian GLONASS or even the new Chinese Beidou navigation satellites.

The CH-4 may indeed be superior to the Predator, but the U.S. moved several years ago to production of the MQ-9 Reaper (also known as Predator B) which is more than three times the size of the original. It has a 14-hour endurance and carries almost 4,000 lbs. of bombs, making it much more like a manned aircraft in capability. In 2015 CASC unveiled the CH-5, which is closer to the Reaper in scale.

Perhaps the real test of the CH-4 will be whether it is cheap enough to be replaced every time one is lost. One of the main advantages of unmanned aircraft is losing one carries none of the political consequences of losing a pilot, so they can be flown on hazardous missions. At about $5 million a pop, the Predators were regarded as more or less expendable, something which does not apply to the $30 million Reaper.

If CASC can produce efficient, low-cost combat drones, then they may come to dominate the military market the way that DJI have dominated the civilian drone market . The U.S. may have invented drone warfare, but the field may end up being owned by someone else. And CASC are already offering small tactical drones for export.

This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io