From Henri K blog Interesting there are 3 prototype trial going simultaneously
This one make use of old but plenty Y 5 body that is now decommission from PLAAF service
FH-98: A 70-year-old biplane transformed into a cargo drone
Can we still benefit today from an airplane whose design dates back to the 40 ', that is, 70 years ago? The answer seems to be a yes, at least for the Chinese logistics giant SF Express, who managed to turn the old bi-plane transport plane Y-5B into a cargo drone and fly it.
The aircraft, co-developed by SF Express Fonair Avition Co., Ltd. and Chinese space rocket manufacturer CASC, made its maiden flight a few days ago under the watchful eye of the Chinese authorities, including the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which supports a priori this aircraft project dronisé.
A Y-5 from the Chinese army. This derivative of the Antonov An-2 still flies under the sky in China.
Few technical details are given in
, which simply states that the new cargo drone has a MTOW of 5,250 kg and a commercial carrying capacity of 1,500 kg. The so-called FH-98 (飞鸿 98) can also take off in less than 200 meters on a rough runway.
Level motivation, the Chinese company that employs more than 213 000 people today plans to expand its logistics transport network to remote areas in China, especially areas not easily accessible by road. For this purpose, it intends to build an aviation network based on
that it currently holds for the transport of lines, supplemented by intelligent, unmanned means such as the large-capacity regional cargo drone and the drone. final delivery.
The FH-98 is therefore part of the second link of this new network of the future that SF Express plans to set up, with a budget of more than one billion yuan (about 124 million euros) for the segment. drone, but it's not the only cardboard project for the Chinese giant.
Indeed, SF Express has also invested in at least two other projects of the same capacity, namely
and which is also transformed from an existing piloted platform, and
designed by Chinese start-up Tengden (腾 盾 科技).
For now, it is unclear whether these three cargo drone projects will co-exist and come into service once the tests are completed and the certificate of airworthiness is obtained, or they are three candidate projects that will be put into competition.
FM-15, another cargo drone transformed from the Y-5B biplane
Be that as it may, we will notice that FH-98 is not the only cargo drone project in China that relies on the old Y-5B as the basis for development. Another Chinese company, FM Aviation Technology, has also raised funds to develop
.
According to the general manager of the Chinese start-up, the operating costs per tonne of goods transported are much cheaper for a cargo drone than a road truck, and that of the order of 27%. Given the significant number of older generation aircraft in China and the exponential growth of the domestic logistics transport market, the transformation of aircraft-powered aircraft into a cargo drone therefore represents a substantial potential for young technology companies in the country.
To be continued.
Henri K.