The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China's national scientific think tank, announced on Oct 26 that the country's first heavy load unmanned aerial vehicle had completed its maiden flight.

CAS said the test flight lasted for 26 minutes under stable flying conditions and precise trace tracking, meaning it met all original design requirements, people.cn reports.

With a length of 11.84 meters, a wing span of 12.80 meters and a height of 4.04 meters, the drone features a 10-square-meter warehouse capacity which can bear a load of 1.5 tons.

The vehicle also features an advanced flight control and command system that can initiate both take-offs and landings with the press of a button.

Even fully loaded, the AT200 can take off or land using a 200-metre runway and requires no standard airport facilities. It can operate on simple airstrips or even earth slopes and grass lands, making it suitable for high altitude and mountainous regions.

China is now quickening its efforts to expand the practical applications of drones, with some adapted to conduct artificial rainfall tests in September in Xinjiang, northwest China.

China's first heavy freight load drone successfully soared to the sky on Oct 26. (Image by Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, CAS)

Source：gbtimes