Iraqi Army Commander Inspects Rainbow-5, Chinese Engineers Line Up to Welcome, All Smiling!
In early 2026, the Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army personally visited the Al-Assad Airbase to inspect the deployed Rainbow-5 (CH-5) large-scale reconnaissance and strike UAV. Notably, a Chinese technical support team is still stationed at the base. From the photos, both sides appeared relaxed and smiled naturally during the handshake.
Since the late 2010s, the Iraqi military has been seeking a domestic alternative with long endurance and high-precision strike capabilities. Although models such as the U.S. "Predator" are technically advanced, they come with many conditions, complex maintenance, and high operating costs. In contrast, the Rainbow-5 has a maximum takeoff weight of 3 tons, an endurance of over 30 hours, can carry 16 precision-guided munitions, and the entire system costs about one-third of similar Western products. More importantly, China provides a "turnkey + long-term on-site support" model, enabling Iraq to quickly establish independent combat capabilities.
According to an internal briefing from the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, since the deployment of the Rainbow-5, it has completed more than 200 flight missions in counter-terrorism operations, border patrols, and target positioning tasks, successfully guiding ground forces to destroy multiple hideouts of extremist organizations. In one operation, a Rainbow-5 remained airborne for 34 consecutive hours, transmitting real-time high-definition images and accurately directing air-ground coordinated strikes, destroying targets that were previously difficult to hit, which greatly surprised the Iraqi leadership. This kind of practical performance is the fundamental reason why the Iraqi commander was willing to personally come to "commend" it.
The current Chinese team stationed at Al-Assad Base has trained dozens of Iraqi flight controllers, data analysts, and maintenance technicians. This "teach people to fish" cooperation method not only reduces Iraq's reliance on foreign technology but also earns long-term trust from China.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Algeria, and Egypt have recently expressed interest in purchasing the system, with some even proposing the possibility of joint production. The successful deployment of the Rainbow-5 actually provides a replicable model for the export of China's high-end defense equipment: not just selling weapons, but building a full-life cycle service system that includes training, support, and upgrades.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856699180127244/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.