China successfully conducted a flight test for a large twin-engine unmanned cargo drone developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co.
The new drone has a wingspan of 16.1 meters, height of 4.6 meters, cargo volume of 12 cubic meters, and a maximum payload capacity of 2 tonnes. The 20-minute flight saw all systems functioning normally.
Chinese drones, identified as Wing Loong-10 Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), were detected entering Vietnamese airspace twice recently, flying along Vietnam's coastline for about 800 kilometers before turning back to Phan Rang province. These interventions occurred within a week of joint Coast Guard training exercises conducted by Vietnam and the Philippines.
China's leading drone manufacturers, including Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) and DJI, are testing larger payloads and advanced drones to build a low-altitude economy. AVIC is developing the HH-100 cargo drone with a 700 kg payload capacity and 520 km flight radius, and planning to test the TP2000 cargo drone next year with a 2-ton cargo capacity and 2,000 km range.
Experts view China's drone interventions as attempts to disrupt regional collaborations and highlight Beijing's expansionist tactics in the South China Sea, with the tactic often being 'divide and rule' to challenge any regional cooperation that could threaten China's status.
China aims to grow the low-altitude economy, which incorporates unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in various industries, to a $279 billion market by 2030, seeing it as a new growth engine with vertical mobility and potential for economic transformation.
China has over 2,000 companies designing or manufacturing UAVs, with companies like Phoenix Wings of SF Express already using drones like the Fengzhou-90 for real-world applications such as transporting fresh produce between provinces.
EHang Holdings received China's first production certificate for an autonomous passenger drone.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Finimize, Investing.com , Devdiscourse , MarketScreener , Global Times , CGTN , Daily Excelsior