The King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) will manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) in Saudi Arabia under a recent agreement signed with state-owned arms maker China Aerospace Science Technology Corporation (CASC).

Based in Riyadh, KACST is an independent scientific organization responsible for the promotion of science and technology in Saudi Arabia.

The deal will allow KACST to manufacture CASC's Cai Hong (Rainbow) class of UAVs and UCAVs. One of the most popular of the Cai Hong or CH-class in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East is the CASC CH-4, a drone that looks remarkably similar to the U.S. MQ-9 Reaper UAV built by General Atomics.

Some American experts believe the striking resemblance is another example of Chinese spying put to use in the real world.

Saudi Arabia is a confirmed CH-4B operator. Under the new deal, Saudi-made UAVs and UCAVs will have both military and civilian uses and will be marketed to other countries in the Middle East.

Some of the most militarily powerful Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have turned to China to fill their needs for the armed aerial drones now seeing combat in the Middle East.

China has sold its CH-4 UAVs to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are using the UAVs to attack Houthi rebels in Yemen and ISIS terrorists in Libya. Iraq is using its fleet of CH-4B aerial drones to destroy ISIS vehicles, fighters and buildings.

Iraq is the leading combat operator of the CH-4 that's armed with Chinese-made, precision strike AR-1 missiles and FT-5 precision guided bombs. A CH-4B can mount up to six 45 kg AR-1 semi-active laser-guided missiles.

Iraq first used its CH-4B in combat in October 2015 and since then has deployed the drone to deadly effect.

The UAE and Saudi Arabia are fighting Houthis in Yemen; Iran is using them against anti-Assad rebels in Syria and Iraq while Turkey has deployed them against ISIS in Iraq.