THE WORLD’S biggest cargo drone that can haul nearly two tons has taken its first flight in China – and is set to replace modern travel as we know it.
This incredible step is said to be a push to expand China’s “low-altitude economy”.
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The twin-engine aircraft is said to have taken its maiden flight last Sunday, local reports claim.
Labelled as the world’s biggest China-made unmanned cargo drone, the structure has a wingspan of a shocking 16.1m, a height of 4.6m and a huge cargo space of 12 cubic metres, CCTV reports.
During the test run in Zigong, the southwest province of Sichuan, report claims that the plane “performed steadily” during its 20-minute flight.
The futuristic aircraft is expected to support the expansion of air-carrying services in China.
Low-altitude airspace is the area up to 1,000m above ground that could be very heavily used in the future worldwide.
The use of this space could include passenger transport, cargo delivery and manufacturing to name a few.
Beijing has been racing ahead in the development of drone tech to upgrade China’s transport and business.
This would result in the phase-out of vehicles like old trucks, ships and trains.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the country’s low-altitude economy exceeded a shocking 500 billion yuan, or roughly over £54 billion pounds, last year.
This unbelievable figure is set to soar even more as it’s projected to reach 2 trillion yuan in 2030.
It comes after a flying “air taxi” flew in New York for a record 523 miles – despite being powered by hydrogen and electricity alone.
The breakthrough Joby Aviation aircraft could cut the hour-long journey from New York City’s JFK airport to Manhattan to just seven minutes.
This latest mammoth flight took place in California however, where it touched down with 10 per cent of its hydrogen fuel load to spare.
And thanks to its unique eco-fuel system, the only direct by-product of the flight was water.
Joby’s “air taxi” is a first-of-its-kind hydrogen-electric aircraft that takes off and lands vertically.
“Traveling by air is central to human progress, but we need to find ways to make it cleaner,” said Joby founder and chief JoeBen Bevirt.
“With our battery-electric air taxi set to fundamentally change the way we move around cities, we’re excited to now be building a technology stack that could redefine regional travel using hydrogen-electric aircraft.”
Joby previously tested a fully-electric version of the craft over a much shorter trip across New York City in late 2023.
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And Joby said that its air taxis would be able to cut the Manhattan to JFK journey to seven minutes – versus the hour it can take by car.
The company also added that the air taxi could cover “99% of all trips taken today across New York City’s five boroughs”.
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