A large unmanned transport plane capable of carrying 2 tons of cargo has been successfully tested in China.
According to China’s state-run CCTV and Bongmyeon newspaper on the 12th, a large twin-engine unmanned transport aircraft succeeded in its first 20-minute test flight at Tsugung Fengming Airport in Sichuan Province.
The unmanned vehicle, developed by Sichuan Tengdun Science and Technology Co., Ltd., has 16.1 meters long wings and 4.6 meters high, with a maximum altitude of 7,000 meters and a maximum flying distance of 2,000 kilometers. It has a loading capacity of 12 cubic meters with a capacity of 2 tons.
CCTV said, “It is the largest domestic large unmanned air vehicle developed to meet the demand of the Chinese market. It is easy to load and unload, has high reliability and safety, and has high intelligence. We will open a new chapter in air cargo transportation and support new industries such as low-altitude economy (economic activity using manned/unmanned aircraft) and smart logistics.” The Bongmyeon Newspaper rated this year as the first year of the low-altitude economy. Sichuan Tengdun Science and Technology Co., Ltd. sent a large unmanned aerial vehicle (drone) in March to help extinguish forest fires in Sichuan Province’s field, and succeeded in a logistics flight between provinces for the first time in April. Last month, it sent unmanned air vehicles to the flood site in Shaanxi Province to support emergency rescue and communication.
The state-run Global Times evaluated the flight as having great significance in a low-altitude economy following the test of a 1-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing plane on the Yangtze River on the 1st.
According to the media, China’s low-altitude economy grew 33.8% to 505.95 billion yuan last year, and about 608,000 new drones were registered in the first half of this year. The number of private aviation license holders required to operate drones in China exceeded 14,000.
According to a report released in April by the China Information Industry Development Center, China’s low-tech economy is expected to exceed 1 trillion yuan by 2026.
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
