Iraqi Army Displays New Military Drone Bought From China

Iraq’s military has showcased a newly acquired China-made CH-5 military drone during an exhibition in Baghdad.

Jean-Loup Samaan, Senior Research Fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, told Newsweek that China is fulfilling the defense needs of certain Middle Eastern countries, while the U.S. has imposed restrictions on military exports to some countries in the region.

“There is an added value of Chinese military systems, which are cheaper products and have no strings attached, and it also relates to the difficulties Middle Eastern states may face in accessing similar systems in the U.S., often due to restrictions on exports,” Samaan told Newsweek in an interview.

“This latest sale follows a common pattern of China’s growing footprint in Middle East arms markets, especially in niche capabilities such as unmanned systems, or missiles, and with countries that are traditionally seen as partnering with the U.S. for their military expenditures,” Samaan added.

China has increased its efforts in recent years to bolster its presence in the Middle East following years of U.S. military engagement in the region.

From 2008 to 2018, China sold 181 drones to 13 countries, of which 22.1 percent were exported to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 19.3 percent to Saudi Arabia, and 15.5 percent to Egypt, according to a Swedish think tank, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

The CH-5 (Cai Hong-5 in Chinese or Rainbow-5 in English) drone was developed by the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and can fly for up to 60 hours while operating over a range of 6,213 miles, according to an analysis by The Diplomat, an East Asia-focused specialist publication, on April 5, 2018.

Iraq’s Army Aviation Command ordered the drone and showcased it at the International Defense Exhibition in Iraq, which was held in Baghdad from 20 to 23 April, military affairs platform Janes Group reported on April 24.

“Earlier reports that Iraq had acquired CH-5s were based on a photograph that circulated on social media in September 2023 showing a man holding a certificate in front of a projected image that identified the event as the ‘closing ceremony for CH-5 training’ above Iraqi and Chinese flags,” Janes Group reported.

In 2015, China and Iraq elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership, paving the way for Beijing to access the country’s natural resources, primarily oil and gas.

Newsweek contacted China and Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a written request for comment. Newsweek also contacted the U.S. State Department for comment.

“China is willing to work hand in hand with Iraq to continuously deepen the China-Iraq strategic partnership,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping said on December 9, 2022, according to Chinese official news agency, Xinhua.

China has since expanded its presence in Iraq by acquiring extraction rights to the country’s oil fields.

Chinese oil and gas company China National Petroleum Corporation replaced the U.S. as the lead contractor at Iraq’s largest oil field, West Qurna 1, Xinhua News Agency reported in January.

“At the political level, it could be read as Baghdad’s balancing act vis-à-vis the U.S., a decision to reaffirm the desire of the Iraqi government to move away from the U.S. orbit as it already indicated in other diplomatic ways,” Samaan added.