Shaheer Ahmed
Pakistan has been making continuous efforts to match the global standards of weaponry up-gradation. Pakistan is procuring more and more fighter jets and drones from China to keep the external threats at bay. Owing to this, Pakistan Navy has bought the strike-capable CH-4B from China.
China has been helping Pakistan to strengthen its defense. Recently, Pakistan Air Force has procured J-10C fighter jets which would be displayed on Pakistan Day. It’s a good thing that Pakistan is balancing the up-gradation of the Army, Navy, and Air forces equally.
What is CH-4?
The CH-4 also known as Chai Hong 4 or Rainbow 4 is a Chinese-made multirole medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It further contains three variants i.e., CH-4A, CH-4B, and CH-4C (in the testing phase). The CH-4 family was developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) and Aerospace Long-March International Trade Co Ltd (ALIT)
CH-4 Series
CH-4A has 30 hours of flight endurance. It was manufactured especially for missions related to the investigation.
CH-4B has 14 hours of flight endurance and is capable enough to carry a 345 kg weapon payload. The CH-4B is also capable of striking. This is the variant that Pakistan Navy was reported to have acquired by China.
CH-4C is an upcoming variant in the family of CH-4. It is expected to have a greater payload, will be capable of generating more electricity, and will also constitute updated electronic architecture and data processing system.
Burraq-Series
With the procurement of the CH-4B drone by Pakistan, another armed drone besides the Burraq-series would be added to the unmanned combat operations. For those who are not aware of the Burraq-series, then it is important to note that it is an unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) that was a collaborative project of Pakistan and China. The Burraq series are used by both the Pakistan Air force and Pakistan Army.
Importance of CH-4
The CH-4 is manufactured especially for high-altitude missions over sea and land. Moreover, it can fire weapons from approximately 5,000 meters. The CH-4 comes with the feature of flying the drone remotely with the help of a two-person control station. CH-4B could be used by Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy as it provides greater maneuverability.
This will help Pakistan Navy to secure our seas with greater precision as protecting seas is equally important as protecting the land. However, physical borders are a lot easier to protect than sea ones. As we have not carved out physical borders in the sea. Therefore, it makes it complicated to safeguard. Pakistan Navy is remarkably protecting us by continuously overwatching our seas. We are thankful and at the same time proud of Pakistan Navy.
