China Tests Largest Cargo UAV Ever Built
China has recently conducted a groundbreaking test of the largest cargo-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in its history, capable of transporting up to 2 tons of goods.
According to state media, this new twin-engine drone, designed for civilian use, successfully completed a 20-minute test flight on August 11 in Sichuan Province, located in southwestern China. This event comes as various nations ramp up the production and testing of UAVs capable of delivering a wide range of goods to consumers, as reported by Reuters.
With a wingspan of 16.1 meters and a height of 4.6 meters, this UAV was developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation. It surpasses the size of the world’s most popular light aircraft, the Cessna 172, manufactured by the American company Cessna.
Tengden’s successful test flight follows the maiden voyage of the HH-100 cargo UAV prototype, which took place in June in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, northwestern China. Chinese civilian UAV manufacturers are now focusing on producing larger payload drones as the government pushes to build a low-altitude economy. By 2023, China had over 2,000 companies engaged in UAV design or production, led by DJI, the world’s largest UAV manufacturer.
China’s aviation regulators project that this industry could reach a value of 2 trillion yuan (approximately $279 billion) by 2030.
In a report released this year, China for the first time identified the low-altitude economy as a new growth driver, with mobility seen as a “new productive force” in sectors such as passenger transport and goods circulation. The low-altitude economy refers to a comprehensive economic model operating in airspace below 3,000 meters, driven by low-altitude flights of both manned and unmanned aircraft.
