Chinese UAV News & Discussions (Strictly)

[JSCh]

SF Express Has Started Testing Its Unmanned Delivery Drone
TANG SHIHUA
DATE: TUE, 09/25/2018 - 18:08 / SOURCE:YICAI

SF Express Has Started Testing Its Unmanned Delivery Drone​

(Yicai Global) Sept. 25 -- SF Holdings, China’s biggest non-state courier and known as SF Express, has begun testing its unmanned delivery drone as it looks to bring advanced technologies to the country’s thriving logistics sector.

The cargo drone successfully completed flight tests at a facility near the Great Wall, China Aerospace Times Electronics, whose subsidiary developed the drone in partnership with an SF unit, said in a statement yesterday. The unmanned aerial vehicle is based upon the Shijiazhuang Y-5B, a Chinese aircraft based on Russia’s Antonov An-2, and has a maximum payload of 1.5 tons and top takeoff weight of 5.25 tons.

The An-2 biplane is renowned for its ability to take off from small or lowly airstrips and has been adapted for a range of uses, including agricultural, forestry and military applications. China licensed the craft in the 1950s.

SF’s new drone will satisfy its own demands for delivery in remote cities, mountainous areas and even on islands, the statement added. The pair also forecast the UAV having applications in agriculture and forestry, cartography, emergency and disaster relief, maritime search and rescues and delivery of military goods.

The craft is still in the testing stages and more experiments need to be conducted to assess the technologies involved, according to the statement. The developers have not yet signed any bulk supply deals, but hope to do so once they have obtained an airworthiness certificate for the drone.

 

[LKJ86]

Anti-UAV

 

[LKJ86]

The chief designer of WL UAV

 

[LKJ86]

 

[Deino]

So the WL II is indeed in PLAAF service as it seems !

https://twitter.com/x/status/1046789681533177856

 

[Deino]

So the WL II is indeed in PLAAF service as it seems !

https://twitter.com/x/status/1046789681533177856

Interesting find, however via SOC from Jane's and another reliable one it seems as if they are in fact CH-5.

 

[JSCh]

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China holds UGV competition with focus on autonomy, mobility | Jane's 360
Melanie Rovery, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly
03 October 2018

A UGV in a six-triangular-track-wheeled configuration participating in the ‘Crossing Obstacles 2018’ UGV competition. Source: CCTV

China's investment in and development of unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) technology is increasingly geared towards enhancing the autonomy and mobility of the platforms, as shown during this year's 'Crossing Obstacles' UGV competition.

Participating in the competition, which was held from 12 to 23 September at a training ground in Beijing's Changping District, were 61 'leading units' (14 military and political colleges, 26 private enterprises, 10 state-owned enterprises, and 11 research institutes) and 136 teams, said China's Ministry of National Defense (MND), pointing out that there were four categories and a total of 10 competition groups.

The aim of this year's contest, which saw a sharp rise in the number of participants, was to examine how the vehicles can navigate across extremely challenging terrain while simultaneously performing tasks.

The setting for this year's competition, which is seen as the Chinese equivalent to the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge, was more demanding than that of previous years (2014 and 2016). The teams were expected to carry out dynamic path planning, navigate through GPS-denied areas, conduct target identification, carry out reconnaissance missions, overcome obstacles, and perform battlefield manoeuvres.

The environment chosen for the contest was designed to emulate combat conditions as realistically as possible. For instance, the 12 km-long route featured rivers, inclines, ditches, trenches, muddy sections, grassland, bogs, sand, rocks, gravel roads, steep slopes, gullies, path obstacles, smoke obscuration, as well as signal interruptions.

Mobility is often challenging when it comes to autonomous capabilities. When satellite navigation signals are disturbed, the vehicles are forced to use inertial navigation units (INU), real-time positioning, and 3D mapping to acquire their positioning information, which is undoubtedly more difficult.

Some of the teams that took part in this year's competition concentrated their research on mobility systems, particularly the suspension. Wheels and tracks fitted to independently elevated arms aided the platforms when overcoming high obstacles and traversing muddy terrain.

Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options at ihsmarkit.com/janes

 

[JSCh]

China, Pakistan to jointly manufacture Chinese aerial drones: report
By Liu Xuanzun Source:Global Times Published: 2018/10/8 23:18:39

Pakistan will reportedly import 48 Chinese drones in what a Chinese military observer said must be the largest such arms deal of its kind.

Announcing the deal on its official Facebook account on Sunday, the Pakistan Air Force's Sherdils Aerobatic Team did not reveal how much it was worth, when it was struck or when the Wing Loong IIs will be delivered.

But the air force academy aerobatics team announced that in the future the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra and the Aviation Industry Corporation of China's Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company will jointly manufacture the drones.

Wing Loong II, made by Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Company, is a high-end reconnaissance and strike multi-role endurance unmanned aircraft system.

It made its maiden flight in February last year, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

The largest overseas order for Wing Loong IIs was obtained even before the maiden flight, Xinhua reported. The report did not specify the buyer.

A deal involving as many as 48 Wing Loong IIs, if confirmed, would be China's largest export deal for drones to date, Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator, told the Global Times on Monday.

Chengdu Aircraft Industrial Group did not confirm the deal when reached by the Global Times as of press time.

It makes sense the aerobatic team was closely involved with the deal, Song said, noting that the team is expected to train the drone operators.

The deal is trustworthy given the close military ties between the two countries and Pakistan's need for drones, Song said.

US drones like the MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper are technologically more advanced, but Washington limits their export, Song said.

Chinese drones will enjoy more success in the international market in the future, he said, as they perform similarly at a lower cost.

"Chinese UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) like Caihong series also has clients from countries like Iraq and Saudi Arabia," Song said.

 

[LKJ86]

CH-5

https://m.weibo.cn/1431412394/4293205556521405

 

[zestokryl]

Mistery jet drone :

http://www.eastpendulum.com/et-si-tian-ying-est-un-drone-furtif-embarque

 

[LKJ86]

 

[LKJ86]

https://m.weibo.cn/6433673288/4293653629267587

 

[LKJ86]

CH-5

 

[JSCh]

Drone leads man out of 'Sea of Death'
By Ma Chi | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2018-10-10 15:13

The lost man waves his coat to the drone, which located him in the Taklimakan Desert. [Photo/Beijing Youth Daily]

A man who lost his way in a dangerous desert where men can hardly survive was saved by a drone, reported Beijing Youth Daily.

The man, in his 30s, was driving along a highway on the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert in Northwest China on Sunday. The desert, the largest in China, is known as the "Sea of Death" for its extremely hostile environment.

Attracted by the beautiful desert scenery, the man got out of the car and walked into the desert to have a closer look. However, as he walked deeper into the landscape, he eventually got lost, according to the police of Qiemo county, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

It was around 2 pm and the temperature reached over 30 C. With no food and water, and no mobile phone signal, the man appeared to be doomed.

After he got lost, the man's friend reported it to the police. The police walked into the desert for more than 1 kilometer in search of the man, but failed to find him.

Then they deployed a drone to look for the lost man. The police said the drone was able to fly for around half an hour in one flight. To prepare for a long search, the drone carried five standby batteries.

Finally, after searching for more than one hour, the drone located the man in a place around 2 km away from the highway. Seeing the drone, the man waved his coat to it, as shown in a video clip shot by the drone camera.

A police officer said the drone was almost running out of power when it discovered the man. As the drone had no communication equipment, the police raised and lowered the device many times to signal him to stay put and wait for rescue.

The man followed the "instruction" and waited there until rescue personnel arrived to escort him out of the desert.

The police said, as the desert has no reference points, it is very dangerous for tourists to venture into it.

 

[LKJ86]