[Photo by Chen Boyuan/China.org.cn]

China's domestically-produced Rainbow drones are aiming to lead and propel the high-quality development of the country's domestic unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) sector, stated Jia Zhijie, Party chief of Rainbow Drone Corporation, a subsidiary of the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Jia's remarks came during an event on April 24 in Taizhou, a city in east China's Zhejiang province.

Jia was speaking at a national flag-raising ceremony held at Rainbow Drone's manufacturing base to commemorate China's eighth Space Day, which was set up in 2016 to celebrate the launch of China's first satellite, "Dongfanghong-1," on April 24, 1979.

Although Rainbow drones are aerial rather than aerospace vehicles, their manufacturer is parented by CAAA, part of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., the country's space agency.

"Soaring into space is humanity's eternal dream and cruising above the clouds is our true aspiration," said Jia. He also noted that Rainbow Drone would establish industry standards and integrate various elements and players to facilitate the coordinated development of the UAV sector.

Rainbow Drone was among the first drone manufacturers to establish a manufacturing base in Taizhou, which created UAV Town in 2016 to boost the local aviation industry. Since December 2019, when the first "Made in Taizhou" CH-4 (Caihong, or rainbow in Chinese) rolled off the production line, the facility's capacity has increased significantly, with the annual output of large-size drones exceeding 200 units.

[Photo courtesy of Rainbow Drone Corporation]

Although Rainbow drones have gained international recognition for their anti-terrorism capabilities, they are more commonly employed domestically and internationally for forest fire surveillance, geological exploration, and maritime search and rescue operations, among other civil purposes.

"As the name suggests, a UAV is an aerial platform. A drone's functions entirely depend on the payload it carries. Rainbow Drone will continue to expand its array of products and services in the civil sector," said Fang Shuai, vice Party chief of Rainbow Drone. He also noted that emergency communications recovery and aerial surveys of disaster-stricken areas are where the public started to notice UAVs' advantages.

In collaboration with local partners, a CH-4 recently conducted long-endurance aerial surveys and mapping sorties off Zhejiang's coast, resulting in the digital orthophoto map (DOM) of some small islands.

"This was a coordinated effort led by Rainbow and involved several players in the local UAV chain. Additionally, it created more job opportunities," Fang said.

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