China test-flies biggest cargo drone

China flew its biggest-yet unmanned cargo aircraft designed for civilian use, as the world’s top drone-making nation steps up test flights of autonomous aerial vehicles (UAVs) that could ultimately ferry everything from takeouts to people.

Packing a payload capacity of 2 metric tons, the twin-engine aircraft took off on Sunday on an inaugural flight, state media said, citing developer Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co, for a trip of about 20 minutes in southwestern Sichuan province.

China’s civilian drone makers are testing larger payloads as the government pushes to build a low-altitude economy, with the aviation regulator seeing a 2-trillion-yuan ($279-billion) industry by 2030, for a four-fold expansion from 2023.

With a wingspan of 16.1 m (52.8 ft) and a height of 4.6 m (15 ft), the aircraft, built entirely by government-funded Tengden, is slightly larger than the world’s most popular light aircraft, the four-seat Cessna 172.

Tengden’s test flight followed the maiden flight in June of HH-100, a cargo drone developed by Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) with payload capacity of 700 kg (1,543 pounds) and a flight radius of 520 km (323 miles).

Next year, AVIC plans to test its biggest cargo drone, the TP2000, which can carry up to 2 tons of cargo a distance of 2,000 km (1,243 miles).

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