It is reported that a Chinese company has developed a “smart unmanned transport aircraft” that can load 1t of cargo and succeeded in flying.
According to Chinese media such as the Chinese Newspaper Network, the Xi’an Aisheng Technology Group under the Chinese Weapon Industry Group announced on the same day that it had successfully tested its own “Tianma-1,000” drone.
According to Chinese media reports, the transporter can carry about 1 ton, which is the weight of a small car, so it can transport materials such as food, drugs, and equipment on a large scale at once.
In addition, while the maximum flight altitude reaches 8km, the runway distance required for take-off and landing is short at 200m, and it can be safely taken off and landed in unpaved areas such as lawns and minced dirt roads.
As the maximum flight distance is 1,800 kilometers, it is also possible to send large-scale supplies to areas where transportation by road and rail is difficult within half a day without the need to move them in the middle.
It is designed in a modular manner to quickly replace the luggage compartment and can be used for multiple purposes, and is equipped with an “optical guided landing assistance system” to land even when the field of view is not secured due to bad weather.
Using a smart unloading system, it can unload 1t-class materials on its own within 5 minutes, and it has smart route planning and ability to avoid obstacles, so it can fly on a safe and economical path even in unfamiliar environments.
“We have integrated functions such as logistics transportation and emergency rescue,” the Chinese media said. “For the first time in China, we have adapted to complex terrain such as highlands, coastal waters, and mountainous areas, and can take off and land at an ultra short distance. We can quickly switch between transportation and delivery methods.”
As it is a low-cost transportation platform, it is said to be called “Smart Air Huolala (China’s leading truck sharing company).”
The drone is expected to be quickly deployed in temporary places such as outdoors and rural areas to create supply stations close to the front line and speed up response in special situations such as natural disasters.
A company official said, “In the future, it will be available in private logistics, emergency rescue and refugee relief, border defense supply, and special transportation.”
In China, the development of large unmanned transport aircraft has been actively carried out recently.
In March last year, another Chinese company, Itung Mu-Ki System, launched an unmanned transport aircraft (TP1,000) developed with its own technology in Shandong Province, and the aviation industry group first launched an unmanned vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (AR-E800) in Jiangxi Province in December last year.
Citing data from the Ministry of Industry and Information, China Central TV reported that 1,81 companies had registered in the field as of the end of last year, and about 5.29 million units of 3,623 types of products were registered.
In addition, China International Television (CGTN) reported that Peng Huang Peitian, a Chinese company, recently succeeded in transporting 60kg of medicine 100km away in 50 minutes using a large unmanned drone “Archer” in a mountainous area of more than 3,000m in Oman, the Middle East.
This is the first commercial logistics flight conducted by a large Chinese drone in the Middle East.
JENNNIFER KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
