Aircraft & UAVs

CH-3A unmanned combat aerial vehicle

The CH-3A is a Chinese fixed-wing armed UAV in the CASC Rainbow family, combining electro-optical reconnaissance with small precision munitions. Nigerian Air Force CH-3A aircraft are directly documented in the 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency as part of Operation Lafiya Dole, where they supported surveillance and strike missions against Boko Haram and ISWAP targets in the northeast.

CH-3A unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Fixed-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Rainbow CH-3A Reconnaissance and Strike UAV

Role in Conflicts

2021 Myanmar Civil War
Reconnaissance & Surveillance
Side
State Administration Council and allied forces

In the 2021 Myanmar Civil War, the Tatmadaw used CH-3A UAVs to observe protest movements and support surveillance over Mandalay and other central areas after the February 2021 coup.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
China
Type
Fixed-wing unmanned combat aerial vehicle
Service note
Introduced to Nigerian service during the mid-2010s Boko Haram counter-insurgency campaign
Designer
China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics
Designed
2005 development; 2007 first flight reported for Rainbow-3/CH-3
Unit cost
Not publicly confirmed
Produced
2000s-present
Number built
Not publicly confirmed

Specifications

Crew
0 onboard; flown remotely from a ground control station
Configuration
Fixed-wing UAV with canards, wingtip fins, tricycle landing gear, and a rear pusher propeller
System composition
One ground control station with three UAVs plus associated payloads and weapons in CH-3A product descriptions
Dimensions
CH-3 family references list about 8.0 m wingspan, 5.5 m length, and 2.0 m height
Takeoff weight
About 650 kg in CH-3 family reference data
Payload
Up to about 180 kg on CH-3A references, including electro-optical payloads and small guided munitions
Armament
Two underwing stations for AR-1 laser semi-active guided air-to-ground missiles or GPS-guided bombs in CH-3A product descriptions
Endurance
About 6 hours with maximum payload; CH-3 family endurance figures are higher with lighter payloads
Ceiling
About 4,000 m in CH-3A product data; CH-3 family references list higher maximum-ceiling figures for other configurations
Range
About 960 km in CH-3A product data; CH-3 family references list up to 2,400 km maximum range in other configurations
Data link
ODIN describes CH-3A as incorporating a satellite data link as an improvement over CH-3
Variants

CH-3 and CH-3A references overlap because CH-3A is the armed reconnaissance-strike upgrade branch of the Rainbow-3 family; published figures vary depending on whether they describe the baseline CH-3 air vehicle or the CH-3A mission package.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
CH-3Baseline Rainbow-3 UAV

GlobalSecurity describes the Rainbow-3/CH-3 as a medium-range UAV with canard layout, piston power, wheeled takeoff and landing, and reconnaissance payload options.

Sources: Cai Hong-3 (CH-3)

CH-3AArmed reconnaissance-strike upgrade

ODIN and product literature describe CH-3A as adding a larger payload, strike integration, and an electro-optical payload plus guided weapons such as AR-1 missiles or GPS-guided bombs.

Sources: CH-3A Chinese Reconnaissance Strike UAV, Rainbow CH-3A Reconnaissance and Strike UAV

Carried Munitions

Open reporting and product data describe the CH-3A as able to carry AR-1 laser-guided air-to-surface missiles.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
AR-1 laser-guided air-to-surface missile, Laser-guided air-to-surface missile, MunitionsAR-1 laser-guided air-to-surface missileLaser-guided air-to-surface missile

The Diplomat reported the CH-3A as capable of fielding AR-1 laser-guided air-to-surface missiles, and a CH-3A product listing describes two AR-1 laser semi-active guided missiles as part of the UAV's strike load.

Sources: Is Myanmar Using Armed Chinese Drones For Counterinsurgency?, Rainbow CH-3A Reconnaissance and Strike UAV

Weapon fit

The AR-1 is part of the CH-series export strike load rather than a free-standing ground-launched weapon.

Sources: Is Myanmar Using Armed Chinese Drones For Counterinsurgency?, Rainbow CH-3A Reconnaissance and Strike UAV

Timeline

CH-3A unmanned combat aerial vehicle Key Events

  1. Rainbow-3 development reported

    GlobalSecurity lists 2005 as the development time for the Rainbow-3/CH-3 UAV family under CASC's No. 11 Research Institute / China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics lineage.

    Sources: Cai Hong-3 (CH-3)

  2. CH-3 first flight reported

    GlobalSecurity describes a successful 2007 first flight for Rainbow-3/CH-3, placing the airframe in the late-2000s Rainbow UAV generation.

    Sources: Cai Hong-3 (CH-3)

  3. Zhuhai public unveiling reported

    GlobalSecurity reports that the MALE UCAV model was first unveiled at the 2008 Zhuhai Airshow, before subsequent overseas defense-show appearances.

    Sources: Cai Hong-3 (CH-3)

  4. Nigerian CH-3A service begins

    Oryx lists Nigeria's CASC Rainbow CH-3A UCAVs as entering service in 2014; Army Recognition later reported several hundred CH-3A flight hours since induction three years before March 2018.

    Sources: A Guide To Nigeria's Military Drones, Nigerian Air Force graduates first CH-3A UAV pilots

  5. Nigeria graduates in-house CH-3A pilots

    Army Recognition reported that the Nigerian Air Force graduated its first in-house CH-3A RPA pilots after conversion training that began in May 2017.

    Sources: Nigerian Air Force graduates first CH-3A UAV pilots

CH-3A Technical Identity

The CH-3A is best read as the armed reconnaissance-strike branch of the Rainbow-3 family rather than as a clean-sheet aircraft separate from CH-3. Source figures therefore split between baseline CH-3 airframe data and CH-3A mission-package data.

Airframe

Canard fixed-wing layout, rear pusher propeller, wingtip fins, wheeled takeoff and landing, and a remotely operated ground-control architecture.

CH-3A upgrade

ODIN describes CH-3A as increasing payload above the CH-3 baseline and adding a satellite data link; product literature frames it as an integrated reconnaissance-and-attack system.

Strike fit

CH-3A product descriptions identify an electro-optical payload with two AR-1 laser semi-active guided air-to-ground missiles or GPS-guided bombs for attacks on fixed and moving ground targets.

Media

CH-3A unmanned combat aerial vehicle Videos

Related Weapon Systems
Armed commercial quadcopter drone, Weaponized commercial quadcopter UAV, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsArmed commercial quadcopter droneWeaponized commercial quadcopter UAVArmed commercial quadcopter drones are civilian off-the-shelf multirotor UAVs adapted for battlefield surveillance, target observation, propaganda filming, and short-range explosive delivery. In the Lake Chad basin, reporting links ISWAP and Boko Haram-linked forces to a late-2024 shift from ISR and propaganda drone use toward armed quadcopter attacks carrying locally made or locally fabricated grenades against Nigerian military positions in Borno and Yobe.
FPV drones, First-person-view small UAV / one-way attack drone, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsFPV dronesFirst-person-view small UAV / one-way attack droneFPV drones are small first-person-view UAVs adapted from racing-drone and commercial quadcopter technology into tactical reconnaissance and one-way attack systems. Russia and Ukraine turned them into mass battlefield consumables, while later reporting from Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Syria, Sudan, and Mexico shows the same control-link, payload, and low-cost adaptation pattern spreading to state forces, insurgents, and organized armed groups.
Aeronautics Orbiter 3 UAV, Small tactical unmanned aircraft system, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsAeronautics Orbiter 3 UAVSmall tactical unmanned aircraft systemThe Aeronautics Orbiter 3 is a fully electric, runway-independent small tactical UAS built for ISTAR missions and modular payloads. Aeronautics now advertises up to 10 hours of endurance, launcher-and-parachute recovery or an add-on VTOL kit, and payload options that include EO/IR, ELINT, COMINT, EW, SAR, VMD, and MTI. Azerbaijan fielded Orbiter 3s in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and Aeronautics later announced Greek procurement activity in 2023.

Sources

Wings over Mandalay: Myanmar's junta deploy Chinese-made CH-3A tactical UAVs to observe protest movementsPublisher: Janes | Note: 2021 Myanmar Civil War direct-use source: CH-3A tactical UAVs were used by the Tatmadaw to observe protest movements in Myanmar after the February 2021 coup. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Is Myanmar Using Armed Chinese Drones For Counterinsurgency?Publisher: The Diplomat | Note: Supports CH-3A carriage context for AR-1 missiles and the broader armed-drone reporting used to describe the system. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Counter-Insurgency: CAS Commends Air Task ForcePublisher: Nigerian Air Force | Note: 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use source: CH-3A UAV crews were used by the Nigerian Air Force in Operation Lafiya Dole in the northeast against Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgents. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Armed Drones Making A Strong Entrance In Nigeria's Anti-Terror CampaignPublisher: HumAngle | Note: 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use source: reports a CH-3A drone used by the Nigerian Air Force to trail Boko Haram insurgents and drop an explosive payload in the Sambisa area in January 2018. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Nigerian Air Force graduates first CH-3A UAV pilotsPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: 2009 Boko Haram Insurgency direct-use source: reports CH-3A RPAs fielded by the Nigerian Air Force in the northeast against Boko Haram targets, notes combat delivery of ordnance, and supports the 2018 in-house pilot-training milestone. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Cai Hong-3 (CH-3)Publisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports CH-3/Rainbow-3 development chronology, CAAA/CASC No. 11 Research Institute attribution, airframe layout, dimensions, weight, and baseline CH-3 family performance figures. | Accessed: 2026-07-03CH-3A Chinese Reconnaissance Strike UAVPublisher: U.S. Army ODIN Worldwide Equipment Guide | Note: Supports CH-3A system background and specifications, including reconnaissance-strike role, payload improvement, and satellite data-link context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Rainbow CH-3A Reconnaissance and Strike UAVPublisher: MilitaryDrones.org.cn | Note: Supports CH-3A specification and armament context, including two AR-1 laser semi-active guided missiles as a documented strike load. Also provides the primary product image used for this entry; the page shows an All Rights Reserved footer and does not state clear image reuse terms. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Additional UAVs being acquired for the Nigerian Air ForcePublisher: DefenceWeb | Note: Supports Nigerian Air Force CH-3A service context, CASC manufacturer attribution, and deployment in the northeast. | Accessed: 2026-07-03A Guide To Nigeria's Military DronesPublisher: Oryx | Note: Supports Nigerian inventory context for CASC Rainbow CH-3A UAVs and lists 2014 as the type's entry into Nigerian service. | Accessed: 2026-07-03