China’s first drone capable of transporting goods weighing up to one tonne is expected to start commercial operations next year, Xinhua reports. The TP1000, as the unmanned aircraft is called, successfully completed its 26-minute maiden flight on Saturday.
Designed and built by state-owned Yi-Tong UAV System Co., the TP1000 has a maximum flight range of 1,000 kilometres when fully loaded and a maximum take-off weight of 3.3 tonnes. The twin-engine aircraft is equipped with a large rear cargo door and a 7-cubic-metre cargo bay.
Yi-Tong’s general manager, Jin Ge, said the company aimed to earn an airworthiness certificate for the TP1000 by late 2025 and to launch commercial operations in 2026, after gaining regulatory approval.
[See more: No longer confined to science fiction, flying cars will be mass produced from next year]
He added that the company had already received 30 orders for the drone and noted that TP1000 could be “quickly modified” according to customer specifications, with many possible applications – from marine monitoring to regional infrastructure projects.
Yi-Tong has also developed the TP500 (with a 500-kilogram payload) and the TR100 (with a 150-kilogram payload). Jin said that the TP1000 and TP500 would help “address the booming demand for low-altitude logistics.”
The so-called “low-altitude economy” was specifically mentioned as a focus area in the central government’s new Special Action Plan for boosting consumption, while the Civil Aviation Administration of China has previously estimated that it would be worth 2 trillion yuan (US$277 billion) by 2030. It refers to the business activities of unmanned craft taking place below an altitude of 3,000 metres.
