China trials cargo drone with biggest payload capacity yet
BEIJING, Aug 23 (Reuters) -Chinese aviation logged a new milestone with a test flight of an unmanned civilian drone capable of carrying up to 3.2 metric tons of cargo, as drone makers trial larger and larger drones in anticipation of future domestic demand.
The unmanned SA750U developed by a drone maker based in southern Hunan province completed a 40-minute test flight on Thursday morning, the official Hunan Daily reported on Friday, adding the aircraft can operate as high as 7,300 metres (24,000 feet) and fly as far as 2,200 kms (1,367 miles).
Manufacturers in the world's top drone-making nation are ramping up test flights as China loosens airspace curbs and rolls out incentives to build up a low-altitude economy which authorities say could become a 2-trillion-yuan ($280 billion) industry by 2030, a four-fold gain from 2023.
The test flight of SA750U came quickly on the heels of the trial of a drone earlier this month by a Sichuan-based manufacturer that boasted a payload capacity of 2 tons. Two months ago, state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China tested a drone with a capacity of just 700 kg.
Cargo drones promise shorter delivery times and lower transport costs, Chinese industry insiders say. They can also take off or land at sites that lack conventional aviation infrastructure, such as rooftop spaces in heavily built-up cities.
China has already begun commercial deliveries by drone. In May, a firm under delivery giant SF Express started delivering fresh fruit from the island of Hainan to Guangdong.
In a report this year, the government identified the low-altitude economy as a new growth engine for the first time, with vertical mobility seen as a "new productive force" in areas such as passenger and cargo transport.
($1 = 7.1432 Chinese yuan renminbi)
Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Michael Perry
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
