China’s Largest Heavy Transport UAV Performs Maiden Flight | Aviation

Developed by Sichuan Tengden, the vehicle has a stated cargo capacity of 2,000 kg and is said to be the largest Chinese UAV built to date. The previous holder of the title was the Feihong FH-98, an example of which crashed a few days earlier.

China has flown a new design which has been defined as its largest cargo drone built to date. According to Chinese state media, the aircraft performed its maiden flight, which lasted approximately 20 minutes, on Aug. 11, 2024, from the Zigong Lan-Tian airport in Sichuan province, “with all systems functioning normally.”

The UAV, “independently developed by the Sichuan Tengden Sci-Tech Innovation Company,” is a high-wing twin-engine aircraft with a quite conventional design. The drone is reported to have a wingspan of 16.1 meters and a height of 4.6 meters, with a cargo space of 12 cubic meters that can carry 2 tons of commercial payload.

Because of this, the drone is being defined as the largest of this type ever built in China, surpassing the Feihong FH-98 which previously held the title (more about this later). The drone did not have notable markings in the images released and appeared to be civilian.

Sichuan Tengden has been defined by Chinese media as “a domestic leading enterprise for intelligent aerial vehicle research, manufacturing…