• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

AR-2

China can now offer foreign users of its Cai Hong (Rainbow) family of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) its AR-2 short-range semi-active laser (SAL) air-to-surface missile for use in anti-terrorism operations and low-intensity conflicts, the state-owned China Daily newspaper reported on 03 February 2017.

The China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), one of eight research and development complexes of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), said that it recently conducted live-fire tests of the AR-2 in northwestern China. A CASC Cai Hong-4 (CH-4) UCAV was reportedly used for the tests, although the missile can also be mounted on other Cai Hong UCAVs.

The AR-2 can also be carried by other unmanned combat aircraft and Chinese attack helicopters after minor technical modifications, they added. Weighing about 20 kg and carrying a 5 kg warhead, the AR-2 has a maximum range of 8 km and a top speed of 735 km/h. The AR-2 is reportedly effective against personnel, armored cars, houses, and bunkers, the paper added.

In early November CASC used the Airshow China 2016 exhibition to display a heavily armed prototype of its CH-5 strike-capable UAV for the first time since its maiden flight in August 2015. The CH-5 displayed at the exhibition featured a quad-pack of 20 kg-class AR-2 SAL guided anti-armour missiles on the inboard pylon, and two pairs of 45 kg-class AR-1 SAL anti-armour missiles mounted on the centerboard and outboard pylons for a total of eight weapons on each wing.

Jane's understood from CASC that the AR-2 missile is essentially a lighter and less capable variant of the AR-1, but it is more cost effective and can, therefore, be expended more readily, saving the heavier missile for higher value targets. It is evident from photographs, however, that they are completely different missiles, with the AR-1 being significantly larger than the AR-2.

Zeng Like, project manager for the AR-2, said that the academy hoped to win market share from the United States' AGM-114 Hellfire, widely used in the 1990s and 2000s. At least 29 nations, including Australia, France and South Korea, deploy the Hellfire, according to Jane's Weapon Systems. "There are a lot of counterterrorism operations and low-intensity conflicts in the world that create a huge demand for low-cost, high-efficiency weapons to hit cars or light-duty, armored vehicles," he said. "We believe that most ground targets designated for drones are soft targets or lightly armored vehicles, so using a heavier missile such as the AGM-114 Hellfire for such operations is a waste."

Smaller, cheaper missiles like the AR-2 are powerful enough to handle those targets, and their lighter weight enables a drone to carry more missiles, Zeng said. The AR-2's biggest competitors are the US' AGM-176 Griffin, currently the best-selling lightweight precision-strike weapon, France's Lightweight Multirole Missile and Israel's Whip Shot missile, he said. But, Zeng said, "the AR-2 features strong capabilities and a lower price, so we are positive it will have good market prospects". Many of the academy's clients now use the bigger, heavier AR-1 missile with CH drones, he said.