CASC CH-901

CH-901 / FH-901
FH-901 loitering munition mockup
Typeanti-ship, anti-tank, land-attack missile / loitering munition
Place of originChina
Production history
ManufacturerChina Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)
Produced2016-present
Specifications
Warhead3.5 kg (7.7 lb) of HE / HE-Frag / HEAT shaped charge / camera head
Flight altitude100–150 m (330–490 ft)
Maximum speedStanard: 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

The CH-901, also known as the FH-901, is a type of loitering munition developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), unveiled in 2016, part of the Rainbow series.

External videos
video icon Footage of CH-901 on YouTube

Design

The CH-901 can be prepared and launched from its tube in 3 minutes. 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 drones electro-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, a fragmentation charge, a shaped charge for penetrating armor, or a camera for reconnaissance. The drones can also be launched in waves to swarm and overwhelm enemies.

Launch platform

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, and UCAVs.

In 2020, China unveiled a Dongfeng Mengshi truck fitted with 48 launch tubes for CH-901 loitering munitions.

The CH-901 can also be launched from the new FH-97 loyal wingman drone, which was unveiled at Airshow China in 2021.

Specifications

Data from

General characteristics

Performance

References

  1. ↑ Felstead, Peter (8 January 2023). "What are loitering aerial munitions?". Key Aero. 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.
  2. ↑ "DSA 2016: China details CH-901 UAV and loitering munition". Janes. April 2016. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016.
  3. ↑ "China defense industry presents CH-901 suicide drone at SOFEX 2018". armyrecognition.com. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  4. 1 2 Eshel, Tamir (2022-08-29). "A New Chinese Loitering Weapon Appears in Thailand". Defense Update. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  5. ↑ "China's Mini-Drone Packs a Heavyweight Punch". Popular Mechanics. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  6. ↑ Trevithick, Joseph (14 October 2025). "China Conducts Test Of Massive Suicide Drone Swarm Launched From A Box On A Truck". The War Zone.
  7. ↑ "FH-97 loyal wingman concept unveiled at Airshow China 2021". www.airrecognition.com. Retrieved 2023-02-08.