China: Biggest cargo drone carries over 1.5 tons in 1st test flight

The AVIC HH-100 has a wingspan of 52.8 feet (16.1 m) and a height of 15 feet (4.6 m). These dimensions would make it slightly larger than a four-seater Cessna 172 (a popular traditional light aircraft).

The aircraft has easy loading and unloading features, high reliability and safety levels, and advanced intelligence. It is expected to support the country in expanding its air cargo transportation capabilities and creating innovative smart logistics solutions for a low-altitude economy.

China’s biggest cargo drone takes flight

This latest test flight followed the inaugural flight in June of another cargo drone developed by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), a leading aerospace enterprise.

The AVIC’s HH-100 has a payload capacity of 1,543 pounds (700 kg) and a maximum range of 323 miles (520 km). Next year, AVIC plans to test its largest cargo drone, the TP2000, which can carry up to 2 tons of cargo and fly four times farther than the HH-100.

China’s civilian drone manufacturers are testing larger payloads as the government aims to develop a low-altitude economy. The aviation regulator envisions a 2 trillion yuan ($279 billion) industry by 2030, representing a four-fold expansion from 2023.

China has already begun commercial drone deliveries. For example, in May, Phoenix Wings, a cargo drone company belonging to the delivery giant SF Express, began delivering fresh fruit from Hainan province to southern Guangdong using Fengzhou-90 drones developed by SF, a unit of S.F. Holding.

Chinese industry insiders say cargo drones promise shorter delivery times and lower transport costs while widening deliveries to sites lacking conventional aviation facilities, such as rooftop spaces in heavily built-up cities. They could also ferry people by taxi.

In April of this year, aviation authorities issued a production certificate to EHang Holdings, a UAV maker based in southern Guangzhou, for its passenger-carrying drone. It is China’s first such document for an autonomous passenger drone.

China building a low-altitude economy

In a recent report, the government has identified the low-altitude economy as a new growth engine for the first time. Vertical mobility is viewed as a “new productive force” in passenger and cargo transport areas.

Reuters reports that Chinese state media reported that on Saturday, a manned commercial passenger helicopter took off from Kunshan, a city in Jiangsu province, and headed to Shanghai Pudong Airport, approximately 62 miles (100 km) away.

Shanghai NewSky Heli Company aims to reduce travel time between the cities to 20 minutes from several hours, with one-way fares of up to 1,800 yuan. The route is expected to open on August 18 and has forecasted around 30,000 passengers annually.

Shanghai plans to extend low-altitude flight routes to encompass other cities in the Yangtze River delta.