Chinese AR-500 rotary-wing UAV gets teeth

A model of AVIC’s new AR-500W rotary-wing UAV displayed at Singapore Airshow 2024 shows that it is armed with a substantial missions and weapons payload. (Janes/Akhil Kadidal)

The Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s (AVIC’s) AR-500 rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being developed for naval (including carrier-borne) operations appears to be now armed with missiles and a heavy gun.

The model of an export variant of the UAV, the AR-500W, was unveiled during the Singapore Airshow 2024 held from 20 to 25 February. This AR-500W model was shown with two CM-502KG missiles on either side of the body, under stub wings, and a potential 12.7 mm heavy machine gun in a ventral position. The model also contained an electro-optic/infrared (EO/IR) pod.

The CM-502KG is an air-to-surface missile commonly integrated with Chinese UAVs. China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) earlier said that the CM-502KG is a lightweight missile with a 25 km range. Its 11 kg warhead is optimised for precise strikes against land- or sea-based targets, the company added.