ENGINEERS sent China's biggest-yet cargo drone on a test run recently while a helicopter taxi took to the skies on a soon-to-open 100-km (62-mile) route to Shanghai, laying new milestones for the country's expanding low-altitude economy.
Packing a payload capacity of 2 metric tonnes, the twin-engine cargo drone developed by state-funded Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co took off in southwestern Sichuan province last Sunday for its inaugural flight that lasted approximately 20 minutes, state media reported.
The Tengden-built drone, with a wingspan of 16.1 m (52.8 ft) and a height of 4.6 m (15 ft), is slightly larger than the world's most popular light aircraft, the four-seat Cessna 172, reports Reuters.
The Tengden trial run followed the maiden flight in June of a cargo drone developed by state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of china (AVIC), the leading aerospace enterprise.
China has already begun commercial deliveries by drone.
In April, aviation authorities issued a production certificate to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) maker EHang Holdings (EH O), based in the southern city of Guangzhou, for its passenger-carrying drone, China's first such certification for an autonomous passenger drone.
Last Saturday, a manned commercial passenger helicopter took off for the first time from Kunshun, a city in Jiangsu province, to Shanghai Pudong Airport, state media said.
The service, provided by Shanghai NewSky Heli Co, aims to cut travel time between the cities to 20 minutes from several hours. As many as 30,000 passengers a year are forecast to use the route, which opens on August 18.
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Packing a payload capacity of 2 metric tonnes, the twin-engine cargo drone developed by state-funded Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co took off in southwestern Sichuan province last Sunday for its inaugural flight that lasted approximately 20 minutes, state media reported.
The Tengden-built drone, with a wingspan of 16.1 m (52.8 ft) and a height of 4.6 m (15 ft), is slightly larger than the world's most popular light aircraft, the four-seat Cessna 172, reports Reuters.
The Tengden trial run followed the maiden flight in June of a cargo drone developed by state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of china (AVIC), the leading aerospace enterprise.
China has already begun commercial deliveries by drone.
In April, aviation authorities issued a production certificate to unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) maker EHang Holdings (EH O), based in the southern city of Guangzhou, for its passenger-carrying drone, China's first such certification for an autonomous passenger drone.
Last Saturday, a manned commercial passenger helicopter took off for the first time from Kunshun, a city in Jiangsu province, to Shanghai Pudong Airport, state media said.
The service, provided by Shanghai NewSky Heli Co, aims to cut travel time between the cities to 20 minutes from several hours. As many as 30,000 passengers a year are forecast to use the route, which opens on August 18.
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