Beijing’s new hybrid-powered unmanned transport aircraft has completed its maiden flight, a development one analyst said could be a military “game changer” in the Taiwan Strait by helping supply elite frontline troops.
On Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV described the CH YH-1000S as “the world’s first hybrid-powered unmanned transport aircraft” and said it had completed its maiden flight on Sunday at an airport in the southwestern city of Chongqing.
“[The drone] carried a high-powered hybrid power train jointly developed with a leading new energy vehicle company, significantly shortening take-off and landing distances and increasing payload and range,” CCTV said, without providing further details.
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“Compared with the baseline version, the CH YH-1000S is equipped with a hybrid power-plant that allows it to operate on one or both power sources – a gas-powered engine and an electric motor,” the official English-language newspaper China Daily reported.
CCTV said this model was an improved version of its predecessor, the CH YH-1000, which used a conventional power system.
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That model completed its maiden flight in May and, according to state news agency Xinhua, it can carry 1,200kg (2,600lb) of cargo, has a range of 1,500km (930 miles) and operating time of over 10 hours, and is capable of taking off and landing in complex terrain.
