Chinese MALE, HALE (and rotary, small, suicide) UAV/UCAV thread
- Thread starter Blitzo
- Start date
by78
General
ForceFalcon-1 (力隼-1) target drone:
– Turbojet driven, subsonic and supersonic variants
– Max takeoff weight: ≯370kg (with booster)
– Cruising speed: ≮Mach 0.8 (subsonic version); ≮Mach 1.4 (supersonic variant)
– Max speed: ≮Mach 1.6
– Altitude: 30 to 15,000m
– Range: ≮500km
– Endurance: ≮1 hour (subsonic variant)
– Radar cross-section: ≯0.01m2 (X, Ku bands)
ForceLance-1 (力槊-1) target drone:
– Sub-sonic, two-stage solid rocket
– Range: ≮60km
– Cruising speed: Mach 0.7 to 0.9
– Altitude: 7 to 6,000m
– Max speed: Mach 0.9
– Payload: ≮10kg
– Radar cross-section (adjustable): 0.1 to 3m2（C, S, X, Ku, Ka bands）
– Powered flight duration (i.e. rocket burn time): ≮180s
ForceLance-2 (力槊-2) target drone:
– Supersonic, ramjet powered
– Range (high altitude): 240km
– Range (sea-skimming): 100km
– Cruising speed (high altitude): Mach 3.2 at an altitude of 15,000m
– Cruising speed (sea-skimming): Mach 2.2
– Max takeoff weight: 450kg
– Payload: 100kg
– Length: 4.5m
– Diameter: 300mm
– Turbojet driven, subsonic and supersonic variants
– Max takeoff weight: ≯370kg (with booster)
– Cruising speed: ≮Mach 0.8 (subsonic version); ≮Mach 1.4 (supersonic variant)
– Max speed: ≮Mach 1.6
– Altitude: 30 to 15,000m
– Range: ≮500km
– Endurance: ≮1 hour (subsonic variant)
– Radar cross-section: ≯0.01m2 (X, Ku bands)
ForceLance-1 (力槊-1) target drone:
– Sub-sonic, two-stage solid rocket
– Range: ≮60km
– Cruising speed: Mach 0.7 to 0.9
– Altitude: 7 to 6,000m
– Max speed: Mach 0.9
– Payload: ≮10kg
– Radar cross-section (adjustable): 0.1 to 3m2（C, S, X, Ku, Ka bands）
– Powered flight duration (i.e. rocket burn time): ≮180s
ForceLance-2 (力槊-2) target drone:
– Supersonic, ramjet powered
– Range (high altitude): 240km
– Range (sea-skimming): 100km
– Cruising speed (high altitude): Mach 3.2 at an altitude of 15,000m
– Cruising speed (sea-skimming): Mach 2.2
– Max takeoff weight: 450kg
– Payload: 100kg
– Length: 4.5m
– Diameter: 300mm
The production of the first large-scale unmanned transport aircraft W5000 has begun.
Maximum commercial load capacity: 5 tons
Maximum range: 2600 km
Engine: AEP100 × 2
Maximum commercial load capacity: 5 tons
Maximum range: 2600 km
Engine: AEP100 × 2
Do ATC for these kind of long haul transport UAV work the same as manned aircraft? In the overwhelming instances of UAV usage the take off and landing of drones are from the same airport, how does landing one of these drones at a commercial airfield a few hundred/thousand KM away from the start point work?
There is a very limited number of take off and landing slots at existing commercial airports compared to the potential number of these UAV’s. I think it makes much more sense to build new and small runways near logistics centers.
Edit, I think this will result in some runways innovations, for example instead of a long runway that can land one drone at a time, why not a square one that can land and take off lots at the same time.
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lcloo
Captain
This will likely fall under the "Low Altitude Economy" that was mentioned recently. UAV will probably have their own low altitude networks using secondary/ minor airports. Example there are 12 airports/ airfields in Beijing, one is dis-used, 4 are PLAAF base, 1 is PLAN airfield. 2 are international airports. So they have 4 active minor civilian airfields and a dis-used one that can be reactivated.
These 4+1 airfields in Beijing can be allocated for large fixed wing UAV's intercity flights. They don't have to be operated from the 2 busy international airports in the city.
SImilarly in most cities like Shanghai, Tianjin, Chengdu etc you can find many smaller civilian airports/airfields in the city that are suitable for large fixed wing UAV.
Also, use of UAV, especially for freights, are more suitable for tier 2, 3 and 4 cities and small towns due to low volume of cargo compare to large cities where larger manned cargo planes are used.
China has more than 500 airports of all sizes for civilian traffics. And most of the small airports do not have busy flights.
They could do both with repurposing general aviation airports and/or abandoned/disused to be able to support UAV operations as well, alongside building new airports and/or airfields that are dedicated for UAV operations only. Perhaps, these new airports/airfields can even serve as backup runways for emergency situations (e.g. during wartime or natural disasters).
In the meantime, it's not just the land facilities - Airspace is also a major concern as well, given how crowded Chinese airspaces can be, largely due to PLA-mandated airspace restrictions.
For this, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) should set up new air corridors (i.e. "highways in the air") that would be restricted to UAV (and maybe small-sized turboprop aircrafts like Cessna 172 or Y-5 as well) usage only, and keep the corridors away from present air corridors that are used by commercial airliners, with methods such as altitude separation (commercial airliners typically fly at 20 thousand or more, hence UAVs will join the general aviation and fly no more than 10-15 thousand feet, for example).
Of course, once the UAVs have grown to become as big as regional airliners and be able to travel as fast as regional airliners (both turboprop-powered and turbofan-powered), then having these UAVs utilize normal airports that are currently used by commercial airliners should be fine as well (after necessary retrofit/upgrade is completed onto the airport facilities, of course).
Just like EVs in the automotive world, this is a brand new type of aviation field (and opportunity) for China to excel and make a standing on the world stage.
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You mean 1,500?