On February 17, Yemen's Houthi armed forces released a video confirming that they had shot down a Saudi Air Force Rainbow-4B Chata integrated drone near the yemeni town of Harad on the 10th. Unlike the Previous Rainbow-4, which was shot down, this time the Rainbow-4B did not carry the most common AR-1 laser semi-active air-to-ground missile, but carried the Flying-9 small precision-guided bomb that had rarely appeared on the Battlefield in Yemen. The video also shows a three-piece Flying-9 falling into the hands of The Houthis.
Pictured: The wreckage of the Rainbow-4B shot down on the 10th by the Houthi
Pictured: PFAR-1 pylon adapted to the AR-1 air-to-ground missile
Pictured: The Flying 9 guided bomb picked up by the Houthi
The Fei teng-9 is a 50 kg small ammunition in the Fei Teng series of precision-guided bombs, which is mainly used for drones, but can also be used by conventional manned fighters. Because the speed and mission altitude of the UAV are relatively different from those of ordinary fighters, the performance of the Feiteng-9 when mounted and used by these two types of aircraft is also different. The main thing is that the difference in gliding range is relatively large, rainbow-4B and other Tsatta integrated UAV use Feiteng-9 when the general maximum throwing height will not exceed 5000 meters, and because the flight speed is relatively slow, so the throwing speed is limited to 120 km to 370 km / h, under such conditions, the maximum gliding distance of Feiteng-9 is only 5 km. When the fighter is used, the throwing speed can be increased to up to 1000 km / h, and the throwing height can also reach 10,000 meters, so the maximum gliding distance of the Feiteng 9 under the throwing conditions of the fighter can reach 20 kilometers, which is beyond the range of short-range air defense missiles and is relatively safe.
In terms of guidance, the Feiteng 9 provides a variety of options, the basic configuration is inertial guidance plus satellite correction, and the strike accuracy is 15 meters. If the user feels that this accuracy is not enough, the manufacturer also provides an optional terminal guidance module, there are TV, infrared imaging and laser semi-active three options, TV and infrared terminal guidance can increase the landing accuracy to 5 meters, laser semi-active can further improve the accuracy to 3 meters. However, television and infrared people should need to be equipped with a bomb-aircraft communication pod in the circuit mode, so the public information of the manufacturer at the air show is that it is recommended to use this guidance module when using the fighter. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles is more recommended for semi-active guidance of lasers, because the photoelectric pod of the drone can provide irradiation services, which is more convenient. The accuracy of 3 meters is combined with the 20 kg warhead of the projectile, which is enough to deal with general targets.
Pictured: Saudi Arabia's domestic Saqr 1 Chata integrated UAV, showing that the adaptation is AR-1 and Feiteng 9
Pictured: Saqr 1 mounts The Flying 9
Saudi Arabia's introduction of the Flying 9 precision guided bomb should be relatively early, in 2017 Saudi Arabia launched its domestic Saqr 1 Chada integrated UAV adapted to the guidance bomb is the Soaring 9, from the promotional video, they may also have introduced a production line. However, this Saqr 1, which is said to be completely designed by Saudi Arabia itself, has not been put into use today, and the Feiteng 9 is the first to fight with the rainbow of "East Wind".
In addition, the Picture Released by the Houthis is also worth noting the engine of the Rainbow-4B, which can be seen that the aircraft uses the Austrian Rotax 915 IS engine, compared with the 115 horsepower Rotax 914 engine used by the initial Rainbow-4, the power output of the 915IS has been greatly improved. Its takeoff power output has been increased to 141 horsepower, and its cruise power output is 135 horsepower. The power increase also makes the Rainbow-4B mounting capacity and fuel carrying capacity improved, and the continuous mission ability and weapon mounting are stronger than the early Rainbow-4. At the same time, the engine's 1200-hour overhaul interval is also conducive to the mission support of the Rainbow-4B. At present, the Rotax series engine is the most commonly used in medium and large UAVs in the world, including the Saudi Saqr 1, Turkish TB-2, Iranian Witness-129, Indonesian Black Hawk, Russian Orion early and US military MQ-1 are used in the early days of this series of engines, which can be said to support most of the world's UAV development. Therefore, it is not surprising that our first generation of domestic foreign trade Tsada integrated UAV uses this series of engines, it is really "very fragrant".