SGA2012: Chinese VTOL readies for open market
16 February 2012 - 7:48 by Andrew White in Singapore
Beijing Yotaisc Technology Development is preparing to bring its X200 vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) UAV to the market in September, company officials have stated.
Speaking to Shephard at the Singapore Airshow, chairman and CEO Xie Qinghua said the UAV would be made available to customers following a successful evaluation period. He highlighted the Chinese military and other government agencies including the departments of agriculture and energy as possible customers.
The People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and Air Force have already been supplied with two systems each for evaluation. The company said the systems have been utilised for missions including maritime surveillance.
According to Xie, the PLA has a requirement to procure around 100 VTOL UAVs over a period of three years. He said the airframe, which is designed to travel at a maximum speed of 220km per hour, comprises a similar capability to Schiebel's S-100 Camcopter.
Indeed, company sources believed that the PLA had already procured some 45 Camcopter systems over the past two years. Schiebel refused to comment on any possible deal.
With an endurance of five hours, the X200 is capable of carrying a 100kg payload and has already been fitted out with a variety of payloads ranging from EO/IR and SAR sensors through to ground-penetrating radar and 3D laser rangefinders. The X200 can operate at a maximum altitude of 5,000m and relies upon multi-redundant INS and GPS for navigation.
Xie highlighted potential taskings which included search and rescue, border patrol and battlefield assessment as well as civil missions such as oil and electricity inspection.
