Did China “Rip-Off” a U.S. Air Force Reaper Design?

Related Video Above: Waging War on Enemy Drones

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

China appears to have developed a modern rendition or “look-alike rip-off” of the U.S Air Force Reaper and Global Hawk high-altitude, long-endurance surveillance drones.

It has become all too familiar, instances wherein the People’s Liberation Army unveils a drone, fighter jet, bomber or even infantry carrier which looks extremely similar in external equivalent to a U.S. platform which emerged years earlier. 

Chinese CH-6 Reaper: A Reaper or Global Hawk Drone Rip-Off?

Certainly Chinese efforts to rip-off U.S. designs through cyber espionage have long been discussed as a concern by U.S. military leaders, and the newly created CH-6 Chinese large, high-altitude, high-speed, long-endurance drone appears to be no exception.

The front of the CH-6 looks wider and more rounded than a U.S. Reaper, Global Hawk or Triton, yet its described mission functionality sounds nearly identical to the successful U.S. drones.

CH-6 & Global Hawk Payload Information

There is an interesting comparison here between the emerging CH-6 and U.S. Air Force Global Hawk in that the Chinese newspaper sites sensor payload information nearly identical to what a Global Hawk operates with.