| CH-901 / FH-901 | |
|---|---|
 FH-901 loitering munition mockup | |
| Type | anti-ship,anti-tank,land-attack missile /loitering munition |
| Place of origin | China |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) |
| Produced | 2016-present |
| Specifications | |
| Warhead | 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) of HE / HE-Frag / HEATshaped charge / camera head |
| Flight altitude | 100–150 m (330–490 ft) |
| Maximum speed | Stanard: 180 km/h (110 mph) Cruise: 100 km/h (62 mph) Terminal: 288 km/h (179 mph) |
Guidance system | electro-optical seeker |
Launch platform | Air, ground-launched |
TheCH-901, also known as theFH-901,[1] is a type ofloitering munition developed by theChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) in 2016, part of the Rainbow series.
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Footage of CH-901 onYouTube |
The drone can be deployed in several ways; it can be carried by soldiers in the field and launched out of a tube, as well as from vehicles, aircraft, andUCAVs.[2]
In 2020, China unveiled a truck fitted with 48 launch tubes for CH-901 loitering munitions.[3]
The CH-901 can also be launched from the newFH-97loyal wingman drone, which was unveiled atAirshow China in 2021.[4]
The CH-901 can be prepared and launched from its tube in 3 minutes.[5] The drone then dashes to its target area at 180 km/h (110 mph), where it flies around for up to 60 minutes, at 100 km/h (62 mph), and at an altitude of 100–150 m (330–490 ft). Once a target is located using the droneselectro-optical guidance, it dives onto its target at 288 km/h (179 mph) and detonates its warhead. The CH-901 can carry a 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) high explosive warhead, afragmentation charge, ashaped charge for penetrating armor, or a camera for reconnaissance. The drones can also be launched in waves to swarm and overwhelm enemies.[6]
Data from[6]
General characteristics
Performance
China now produces a wide variety of LMs, a number of which – such as the Rainbow CH-901/FH-901, Norinco Cruise Dragon/Loitering Dragon 10A, and BG-201 – are launched from a mortar-like launcher and are roughly analogous to the US Switchblade. The 7kg RF70, 10kg RF90 and 20kg RF200 are similar but can also be air-launched. The Norinco Loitering Dragon 5A is a small quadcopter LM, while the 7kg S570 is similar to smaller LMs in the Hero family and is said to be able to penetrate 60mm of armour. The turbojet-powered, 100-150kg series of CM-501 LMs developed by CASIC offer a variety of payloads and ranges out to 70km, while the Cruise Dragon/Loitering Dragon 60A and WS-43 are larger LMs deployed from a multiple rocket launcher.
