Key Points
- China’s largest cargo drone, developed by Sichuan Tengden, completed its first flight with a 2-ton payload capacity.
- AVIC’s HH-100 cargo drone marks another significant step in China’s expanding drone capabilities.
- Phoenix Wings started commercial drone deliveries of fresh fruit in May, highlighting the benefits of drones in reducing delivery times and costs.
- EHang Holdings received China’s first production certificate for an autonomous passenger drone, advancing air taxi services.
China’s low-altitude economy achieved new milestones over the weekend as engineers tested the country’s largest cargo drone and a helicopter taxi service took flight on a soon-to-launch route to Shanghai. These developments underscore China’s ambitions to expand its low-altitude economy, which the government expects to grow into a 2-trillion-yuan ($279 billion) industry by 2030.
On Sunday, a twin-engine cargo drone developed by Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co, a state-funded enterprise, completed its inaugural flight in Sichuan province. The drone, China’s largest yet, has a payload capacity of 2 metric tons and a wingspan of 16.1 meters (52.8 feet). It stands 4.6 meters (15 feet) tall, slightly larger than the popular Cessna 172 light aircraft. The test flight, which lasted about 20 minutes, marks a significant step in China’s efforts to enhance its drone capabilities.
This test follows the maiden flight of another cargo drone developed by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) in June. AVIC’s HH-100 drone, with a payload capacity of 700 kg (1,543 pounds) and a flight radius of 520 km, is part of China’s broader push to build larger and more capable cargo drones. AVIC plans to test its largest cargo drone, the TP2000, next year. The TP2000 is expected to carry up to 2 tons of cargo and fly four times farther than the HH-100.
China’s push to expand its low-altitude economy is not limited to cargo drones. The country has already begun commercial drone deliveries. In May, Phoenix Wings, a delivery giant SF Express subsidiary, started using Fengzhou-90 drones to deliver fresh fruit from Hainan province to Guangdong. These drones offer shorter delivery times and lower transport costs, especially in areas lacking conventional aviation infrastructure, such as rooftops in densely populated cities.
The low-altitude economy also includes air taxi services. In April, EHang Holdings, based in Guangzhou, received China’s first production certificate for an autonomous passenger drone. This certification paves the way for commercializing passenger drone services in China.
On Saturday, a human-crewed commercial helicopter took off from Kunshan, Jiangsu province, to Shanghai Pudong Airport. Operated by Shanghai NewSky Heli Co, the service aims to reduce travel time between the cities to 20 minutes, compared to several hours by road. The route, which opens on August 18, is expected to serve up to 30,000 passengers annually, with one-way fares up to 1,800 yuan. Shanghai plans to expand these low-altitude routes to other cities in the Yangtze River delta.
