Unmanned Cargo Giant Completes Maiden Flight

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One of the challenges in the unmanned aerial delivery field is the cargo weight. China’s heaviest cargo unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) completed its maiden flight in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province recently. The drone, AT200, jointly developed by several research institutes and companies, made a successful 26-minute maiden flight, according to xinhuanet.com.

The device possesses a maximum take-off weight of around 3.4 tonnes and a payload of 1.5 tonnes, the AT200 could be one of the world’s most powerful civilian UAVs, the report stated. Developed from the basics of the P750XL utility aircraft, the UAV has a maximum flying speed of 313 km per hour, a flight range of 2,183 kilometers and a 6,098-meter service ceiling.

Taking off and landing can be automatically completed within 200 meters. The UAV will be able to complete a wide array of missions, among them freight transport in mountainous regions and on islands.