vi-va
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@Deino , do you think wz-8 and the picture below are related?
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/mil...g-former-pentagon-chief-says-us-danger-losing
Chinese UAV News & Discussions (Strictly)
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https://www.scmp.com/news/china/mil...g-former-pentagon-chief-says-us-danger-losing
The Ronin
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Analysis: Chinese drones UAVs at military parade Beijing China October 2019
Aviation defence industry technology
POSTED ON THURSDAY, 03 OCTOBER 2019 15:59
During the military parade in Beijing, China, which was held during the celebrations marking 70 years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) of China were showcased among other miliary equipment in a parade. Here is the complete list and analysis of Air Recognition editorial team of these UAVs and drones shown during the military parade in order of appearance, on October 1, 2019.
The weaponry includes reconnaissance drones in multi-range and multi-altitude areas.
Among them, a high-altitude high-speed reconnaissance drone, the only all black-coating UAV in the parade, made public appearance for the first time.
The phalanx showcases the new-type combat force in the future warfare and all these aerial armaments reviewed are domestically-developed, said Dang Dongxing, a military official of one of the phalanxes, noting that China's unmanned combat armaments are close to or have reached the world-leading level in some aspects.
The hypersonic WZ-8 "Dark Sword" UAV was unveiled. It could likely be able to fly at a high-supersonic speed and have stealth capabilities, military analysts said. They added that the new drone has small wings and is shaped like a dagger. It is meant to be launched in the air via a bomber or transport aircraft.
The drone could provide more reliable reconnaissance data than satellites. The biggest advantage of the drone is that it can effectively gather intelligence in real-time in a controllable way compared to other platforms like satellites, Wu Jian, editor of Defense Weekly under Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News, was quoted as saying by Global Times.
The JY-203 UAV system is a reconnaissance system based upon Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor (Ku band), which is installed on UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), and also on broad range of other aircraft - turbo-prop, jet, or helicopter. JY-203 system can keep constant imaging resolution within the entire effective detection area, and has certain penetration characteristics, under the influence of light, dust, smoke, fog, cloud and temperature. It is featured with a large detection area and long detection range.
The Aisheng BZK-008 UAV (also called CH-91) is designed to carry out tasks related to reconnaissance of the terrain and airspace, the implementation of observation and patrol missions, aerial photography and aerial photography of the terrain, and monitoring and control.
The CH-91 is a fixed-wing UAV in twin-boom layout with an inverted v-tail and a pair of skids as landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage.
The CH-91 has a maximum takeoff weight of 210. It can fly at a maximum speed of 320 km/h and has a cruising speed of 210 km/h at a maximum distance of 410 km/h with a maximum altitude of 5,100 m.
The Sky Saker FX500 reconnaissance UAV system, by Norinco, adopts high-speed UAV platform of low RCS (Radar Cross-Section) propelled by turbojet engine. It is equipped with GPS and INS combined navigation system, laser illuminator and can be loaded with such airborne mission equipment as multi-purpose opto¬electronic reconnaissance equipment, synthetic aperture radar and digital camera, etc. as required. It has a payload capacity of 50 kg and an endurance of 2 hours. The Sky Saker FX500 can fly at a maximum speed of 800 km/h. With high altitude penetration, it can perform penetration at an altitude of up to 9,000 m.
The Sky Saker FX500 can be equipped with various mission payloads, such as GPS+INS combined navigation system, TV reconnaissance equipment, forward-looking IR reconnaissance equipment, laser illuminator, synthetic aperture radar, digital camera and information transmission equipment, etc.
The Wing Loong II UAV MALE is developed primarily for the export market and is intended for surveillance and aerial reconnaissance missions. The Wing Loong II is an improved version of the Wing Loong 1 UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the category of MALE (medium-altitude Long-Endurance) designed and manufactured in China by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Compared with Wing Loong I, the Wing Loong II has an optimized aerodynamic design, an improved airframe and upgraded airborne systems, featuring better capabilities in terms of flight, payload and information capacity.
The Wing Loong II UAV MALE is powered by a turbocharged engine, driving a three-bladed propeller, mounted at the rear section. It can fly during 20 hours and has a maximum speed of 370 km per hour. The Wing Loong II has an operational radius of 1,500 km and that it is equipped with a satellite communications system.
It has a maximum payload capacity of 400 kg. It is able of carrying up to 12 laser-guided bombs or missiles with a total weight of 480 kilograms. The Wing Loong 1 can carry only two bombs or missiles with a combined weight of 100 kg. At Zhuhai Air Show 2016, the Wing Loong II was shown with different types of bombs and missiles as the FT-9/50 50kg bomb, GB3 250 kg laser-guided bomb, TL-10 bomb and more. The electro-optical payload pod, fitted under the forward section of the fuselage, is integrated with day/night and infrared cameras and sensors to collect surveillance and targeting data in both day and low-light / night conditions.
Another new drone on display in Beijing was the GJ-11 "Sharp Sword" long-range stealth attack drone, which is based on the American-made B-2 strategic bomber, and is designed to strike targets deep in enemy territory without being detected.
The design of the Chinese-made GJ-11 "Sharp Sword" seems very similar to the American-made X-47B from Northrop Grumann and the Russian-made Okhotnik (Hunter) which has performed its first successful maiden flight on July 2019.
The GJ-11 is part of a unmanned aerial vehicle program launched in China by Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute (SYADI) of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Shenyang Aerospace University. The Sharp Sword is jet-powered and has a wingspan of 14 meters. It's not yet known the precise mission Sharp Sword is assigned, but possible missions would including reconnaissance and eventually combat missions. On Nov 21 2013, Sharp Sword conducted a 20-minute long maiden flight from HAIG's airfield.
The ASN-301 is a delta-wing aircraft with a pusher propeller that looks virtually identical to the Harpy. It is designed to fly into hostile airspace and loiter until it detects a radar, at which point it homes in on the target and destroys it. The ASN-301 has a flying time of 4 hours and a range of 280 km. Rather than holding a separate high-explosive warhead, the drone itself is the main ammunition. The warhead contains a total of 7,000 fragment and has a destructive range of 20 m.
It can either operate fully autonomously, or it can be controlled by a remote operator. It is designed to attack radar systems and is optimized for the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) role.
https://www.airrecognition.com/inde...GulAmc50L_NIGgKmGoFOpCrhytri5E-RspPInF_EdAKu0
Aviation defence industry technology
POSTED ON THURSDAY, 03 OCTOBER 2019 15:59
During the military parade in Beijing, China, which was held during the celebrations marking 70 years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, military unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) of China were showcased among other miliary equipment in a parade. Here is the complete list and analysis of Air Recognition editorial team of these UAVs and drones shown during the military parade in order of appearance, on October 1, 2019.
The weaponry includes reconnaissance drones in multi-range and multi-altitude areas.
Among them, a high-altitude high-speed reconnaissance drone, the only all black-coating UAV in the parade, made public appearance for the first time.
The phalanx showcases the new-type combat force in the future warfare and all these aerial armaments reviewed are domestically-developed, said Dang Dongxing, a military official of one of the phalanxes, noting that China's unmanned combat armaments are close to or have reached the world-leading level in some aspects.
The hypersonic WZ-8 "Dark Sword" UAV was unveiled. It could likely be able to fly at a high-supersonic speed and have stealth capabilities, military analysts said. They added that the new drone has small wings and is shaped like a dagger. It is meant to be launched in the air via a bomber or transport aircraft.
The drone could provide more reliable reconnaissance data than satellites. The biggest advantage of the drone is that it can effectively gather intelligence in real-time in a controllable way compared to other platforms like satellites, Wu Jian, editor of Defense Weekly under Shanghai-based Xinmin Evening News, was quoted as saying by Global Times.
The JY-203 UAV system is a reconnaissance system based upon Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor (Ku band), which is installed on UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), and also on broad range of other aircraft - turbo-prop, jet, or helicopter. JY-203 system can keep constant imaging resolution within the entire effective detection area, and has certain penetration characteristics, under the influence of light, dust, smoke, fog, cloud and temperature. It is featured with a large detection area and long detection range.
The Aisheng BZK-008 UAV (also called CH-91) is designed to carry out tasks related to reconnaissance of the terrain and airspace, the implementation of observation and patrol missions, aerial photography and aerial photography of the terrain, and monitoring and control.
The CH-91 is a fixed-wing UAV in twin-boom layout with an inverted v-tail and a pair of skids as landing gear. Propulsion is provided by a two-blade propeller driven by a pusher engine mounted at the rear end of the fuselage.
The CH-91 has a maximum takeoff weight of 210. It can fly at a maximum speed of 320 km/h and has a cruising speed of 210 km/h at a maximum distance of 410 km/h with a maximum altitude of 5,100 m.
The Sky Saker FX500 reconnaissance UAV system, by Norinco, adopts high-speed UAV platform of low RCS (Radar Cross-Section) propelled by turbojet engine. It is equipped with GPS and INS combined navigation system, laser illuminator and can be loaded with such airborne mission equipment as multi-purpose opto¬electronic reconnaissance equipment, synthetic aperture radar and digital camera, etc. as required. It has a payload capacity of 50 kg and an endurance of 2 hours. The Sky Saker FX500 can fly at a maximum speed of 800 km/h. With high altitude penetration, it can perform penetration at an altitude of up to 9,000 m.
The Sky Saker FX500 can be equipped with various mission payloads, such as GPS+INS combined navigation system, TV reconnaissance equipment, forward-looking IR reconnaissance equipment, laser illuminator, synthetic aperture radar, digital camera and information transmission equipment, etc.
The Wing Loong II UAV MALE is developed primarily for the export market and is intended for surveillance and aerial reconnaissance missions. The Wing Loong II is an improved version of the Wing Loong 1 UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) in the category of MALE (medium-altitude Long-Endurance) designed and manufactured in China by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). Compared with Wing Loong I, the Wing Loong II has an optimized aerodynamic design, an improved airframe and upgraded airborne systems, featuring better capabilities in terms of flight, payload and information capacity.
The Wing Loong II UAV MALE is powered by a turbocharged engine, driving a three-bladed propeller, mounted at the rear section. It can fly during 20 hours and has a maximum speed of 370 km per hour. The Wing Loong II has an operational radius of 1,500 km and that it is equipped with a satellite communications system.
It has a maximum payload capacity of 400 kg. It is able of carrying up to 12 laser-guided bombs or missiles with a total weight of 480 kilograms. The Wing Loong 1 can carry only two bombs or missiles with a combined weight of 100 kg. At Zhuhai Air Show 2016, the Wing Loong II was shown with different types of bombs and missiles as the FT-9/50 50kg bomb, GB3 250 kg laser-guided bomb, TL-10 bomb and more. The electro-optical payload pod, fitted under the forward section of the fuselage, is integrated with day/night and infrared cameras and sensors to collect surveillance and targeting data in both day and low-light / night conditions.
Another new drone on display in Beijing was the GJ-11 "Sharp Sword" long-range stealth attack drone, which is based on the American-made B-2 strategic bomber, and is designed to strike targets deep in enemy territory without being detected.
The design of the Chinese-made GJ-11 "Sharp Sword" seems very similar to the American-made X-47B from Northrop Grumann and the Russian-made Okhotnik (Hunter) which has performed its first successful maiden flight on July 2019.
The GJ-11 is part of a unmanned aerial vehicle program launched in China by Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute (SYADI) of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) and Shenyang Aerospace University. The Sharp Sword is jet-powered and has a wingspan of 14 meters. It's not yet known the precise mission Sharp Sword is assigned, but possible missions would including reconnaissance and eventually combat missions. On Nov 21 2013, Sharp Sword conducted a 20-minute long maiden flight from HAIG's airfield.
The ASN-301 is a delta-wing aircraft with a pusher propeller that looks virtually identical to the Harpy. It is designed to fly into hostile airspace and loiter until it detects a radar, at which point it homes in on the target and destroys it. The ASN-301 has a flying time of 4 hours and a range of 280 km. Rather than holding a separate high-explosive warhead, the drone itself is the main ammunition. The warhead contains a total of 7,000 fragment and has a destructive range of 20 m.
It can either operate fully autonomously, or it can be controlled by a remote operator. It is designed to attack radar systems and is optimized for the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) role.
https://www.airrecognition.com/inde...GulAmc50L_NIGgKmGoFOpCrhytri5E-RspPInF_EdAKu0
bahadur999
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What type is this drone?
Ryan
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Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184
China could be the first in the world to start regular flights on pilotless passenger drones
PUBLISHED WED, AUG 28 20193:34 AM EDT Arjun Kharpal
- Chinese startup Ehang said it could start flights this year or next for passengers on its autonomous drones.
- The company is working with the government in Guangzhou to come up with three or four regular flight routes.
- If it happens, China could be the first country in the world for such a project.
Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184 carrying one passenger flies into the air in Guangzhou, China.
Southern Metropolis Daily | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Chinese startup Ehang says its autonomous passenger drones could soon be flying in the skies of China’s biggest cities, making the country one of the first in the world to roll out such a project.
Ehang announced a pilot project with the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, in which it plans to set up three or four regular flight routes for passengers to take, the company’s co-founder Derrick Xiong told CNBC on Wednesday.
That could take place either this year or in 2020, Xiong said.
If that happens, China would be the first country to carry out such a program where passengers are able to travel in autonomous flying vehicles. Other places like Dubai are also looking into it, carrying out tests, but have not announced programs that resemble Guangzhou’s.
Ehang is not the only company pushing forth autonomous drones. Both Airbus and Boeing have tested their own versions of this technology in the past two years, while German startup Lilium is another player in the game.
For many of these companies, their vision is a world full of flying taxis that are able to provide a new form of urban transport, particularly in areas where traffic is a problem.
Roadblocks ahead
Before such flying vehicles can take off, however, there are a number of challenges, from needing new infrastructure to regulatory concerns, to convincing passengers that the technology is safe.
For a start, Ehang will be working with the authorities in Guangzhou to build up infrastructure like landing and take off pads, according to Xiong. The company was recently picked by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the country’s first company to start a pilot program for the development of autonomous passenger drones.
The startup is also working with Chinese regulators to develop an updated set of regulations to account for this new technology, as existing laws are lacking on this front.
“We are seeing so much positive changes in the past several years,” Xiong said. “When we started from … year 2016 ... nobody even know what is this all about. So earlier this year we have this official approval from China Civil Aviation Administration basically allowing us to have this pilot program … because we are ... working together ... to build up the standard.”
But Ehang will also need to convince consumers that the flights will be completely safe. It claims that it has conducted over 2,000 test flights inside and outside of China in various weather conditions, and is confident of the safety standards.
“So we are confident to say it’s safe because you know from the ... the original design of this aircraft, its safer than most traditional aircraft. Because we have 16 propellers, 16 motors and we have this super efficient safety power redundancy system, meaning even if you … lost the motors or even several motors you’re still fine,” Xiong said.
“Secondly, we have been working on this for many many years and we have … enough testing data … to prove this is a safe technology,” he said.
vi-va
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Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184
China could be the first in the world to start regular flights on pilotless passenger drones
PUBLISHED WED, AUG 28 20193:34 AM EDT Arjun Kharpal
- Chinese startup Ehang said it could start flights this year or next for passengers on its autonomous drones.
- The company is working with the government in Guangzhou to come up with three or four regular flight routes.
- If it happens, China could be the first country in the world for such a project.
Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184 carrying one passenger flies into the air in Guangzhou, China.
Southern Metropolis Daily | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Chinese startup Ehang says its autonomous passenger drones could soon be flying in the skies of China’s biggest cities, making the country one of the first in the world to roll out such a project.
Ehang announced a pilot project with the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, in which it plans to set up three or four regular flight routes for passengers to take, the company’s co-founder Derrick Xiong told CNBC on Wednesday.
That could take place either this year or in 2020, Xiong said.
If that happens, China would be the first country to carry out such a program where passengers are able to travel in autonomous flying vehicles. Other places like Dubai are also looking into it, carrying out tests, but have not announced programs that resemble Guangzhou’s.
Ehang is not the only company pushing forth autonomous drones. Both Airbus and Boeing have tested their own versions of this technology in the past two years, while German startup Lilium is another player in the game.
For many of these companies, their vision is a world full of flying taxis that are able to provide a new form of urban transport, particularly in areas where traffic is a problem.
Roadblocks ahead
Before such flying vehicles can take off, however, there are a number of challenges, from needing new infrastructure to regulatory concerns, to convincing passengers that the technology is safe.
For a start, Ehang will be working with the authorities in Guangzhou to build up infrastructure like landing and take off pads, according to Xiong. The company was recently picked by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the country’s first company to start a pilot program for the development of autonomous passenger drones.
The startup is also working with Chinese regulators to develop an updated set of regulations to account for this new technology, as existing laws are lacking on this front.
“We are seeing so much positive changes in the past several years,” Xiong said. “When we started from … year 2016 ... nobody even know what is this all about. So earlier this year we have this official approval from China Civil Aviation Administration basically allowing us to have this pilot program … because we are ... working together ... to build up the standard.”
But Ehang will also need to convince consumers that the flights will be completely safe. It claims that it has conducted over 2,000 test flights inside and outside of China in various weather conditions, and is confident of the safety standards.
“So we are confident to say it’s safe because you know from the ... the original design of this aircraft, its safer than most traditional aircraft. Because we have 16 propellers, 16 motors and we have this super efficient safety power redundancy system, meaning even if you … lost the motors or even several motors you’re still fine,” Xiong said.
“Secondly, we have been working on this for many many years and we have … enough testing data … to prove this is a safe technology,” he said.
Six or eight rotors needed to be safe. Six rotors has 2-3 redundancy, eight rotors has 3-5 redundancy.
055_destroyer
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Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184
China could be the first in the world to start regular flights on pilotless passenger drones
PUBLISHED WED, AUG 28 20193:34 AM EDT Arjun Kharpal
- Chinese startup Ehang said it could start flights this year or next for passengers on its autonomous drones.
- The company is working with the government in Guangzhou to come up with three or four regular flight routes.
- If it happens, China could be the first country in the world for such a project.
Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184 carrying one passenger flies into the air in Guangzhou, China.
Southern Metropolis Daily | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Chinese startup Ehang says its autonomous passenger drones could soon be flying in the skies of China’s biggest cities, making the country one of the first in the world to roll out such a project.
Ehang announced a pilot project with the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, in which it plans to set up three or four regular flight routes for passengers to take, the company’s co-founder Derrick Xiong told CNBC on Wednesday.
That could take place either this year or in 2020, Xiong said.
If that happens, China would be the first country to carry out such a program where passengers are able to travel in autonomous flying vehicles. Other places like Dubai are also looking into it, carrying out tests, but have not announced programs that resemble Guangzhou’s.
Ehang is not the only company pushing forth autonomous drones. Both Airbus and Boeing have tested their own versions of this technology in the past two years, while German startup Lilium is another player in the game.
For many of these companies, their vision is a world full of flying taxis that are able to provide a new form of urban transport, particularly in areas where traffic is a problem.
Roadblocks ahead
Before such flying vehicles can take off, however, there are a number of challenges, from needing new infrastructure to regulatory concerns, to convincing passengers that the technology is safe.
For a start, Ehang will be working with the authorities in Guangzhou to build up infrastructure like landing and take off pads, according to Xiong. The company was recently picked by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the country’s first company to start a pilot program for the development of autonomous passenger drones.
The startup is also working with Chinese regulators to develop an updated set of regulations to account for this new technology, as existing laws are lacking on this front.
“We are seeing so much positive changes in the past several years,” Xiong said. “When we started from … year 2016 ... nobody even know what is this all about. So earlier this year we have this official approval from China Civil Aviation Administration basically allowing us to have this pilot program … because we are ... working together ... to build up the standard.”
But Ehang will also need to convince consumers that the flights will be completely safe. It claims that it has conducted over 2,000 test flights inside and outside of China in various weather conditions, and is confident of the safety standards.
“So we are confident to say it’s safe because you know from the ... the original design of this aircraft, its safer than most traditional aircraft. Because we have 16 propellers, 16 motors and we have this super efficient safety power redundancy system, meaning even if you … lost the motors or even several motors you’re still fine,” Xiong said.
“Secondly, we have been working on this for many many years and we have … enough testing data … to prove this is a safe technology,” he said.
I guess UAE chicken out after bragging so much being the first country to implement autonomous passenger carry drone pilot program.
Ryan
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Even though the picture in the report shows only 8 propellers + 8 rotors, the report said as below that it had 16 propellers + 16 rotors:
in this video, it demos the 16 propellers working together:
EHang AAV Manned Flight Tests ｜ Urban Air Mobility ｜ EHang
EHang AAV's first public "drone taxi" demonstration of passenger flight in Vienna ｜ EHang
Other videos about EHang:
Top 10 Passenger Drones Available in 2018
Top 5 DIY Flying Personal Vehicles 2018: https://youtu.be/lcRB_x7Rlkc
00:00 - Passenger Drone: the most Advanced Manned Autonomous VTOL for On Demand Aviation and Personal Use http://passengerdrone.com
01:25 - Scorpion 3: like an ordinary motorcycle, but it can fly https://www.hoversurf.com/scorpion-3
02:20 - Ehang 184: autonomous aerial vehicle http://www.ehang.com/ehang184
03:40 - Aero X hoverbike: an aircraft created by Aerofex http://aerofex.com
06:40 - Lilium Jet: the world's first all-electric VTOL jet https://lilium.com
08:15 - Aeromobil 4.0: a unique combination of car and airplane, a truly flying car https://www.aeromobil.com
11:12 - Volocopter: the the first manned, fully electric and safe VTOLs in the world https://www.volocopter.com/en
12:45 - AgustaWestland Project Zero: a hybrid tiltrotor/fan-in-wing aircraft http://bit.ly/2ETb6Ab
15:17 - Larry Page's New Flying Motorcycle
16:20 - Dubai's RTA
EHang Egret’s 1374 drones dancing over the City Wall of Xi’an, achieving the Guinness World Records
Last edited:
bahadur999
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The one in the video looks a little bit different though.Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184
China could be the first in the world to start regular flights on pilotless passenger drones
PUBLISHED WED, AUG 28 20193:34 AM EDT Arjun Kharpal
- Chinese startup Ehang said it could start flights this year or next for passengers on its autonomous drones.
- The company is working with the government in Guangzhou to come up with three or four regular flight routes.
- If it happens, China could be the first country in the world for such a project.
Chinese-made passenger drone Ehang 184 carrying one passenger flies into the air in Guangzhou, China.
Southern Metropolis Daily | Visual China Group | Getty Images
Chinese startup Ehang says its autonomous passenger drones could soon be flying in the skies of China’s biggest cities, making the country one of the first in the world to roll out such a project.
Ehang announced a pilot project with the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, in which it plans to set up three or four regular flight routes for passengers to take, the company’s co-founder Derrick Xiong told CNBC on Wednesday.
That could take place either this year or in 2020, Xiong said.
If that happens, China would be the first country to carry out such a program where passengers are able to travel in autonomous flying vehicles. Other places like Dubai are also looking into it, carrying out tests, but have not announced programs that resemble Guangzhou’s.
Ehang is not the only company pushing forth autonomous drones. Both Airbus and Boeing have tested their own versions of this technology in the past two years, while German startup Lilium is another player in the game.
For many of these companies, their vision is a world full of flying taxis that are able to provide a new form of urban transport, particularly in areas where traffic is a problem.
Roadblocks ahead
Before such flying vehicles can take off, however, there are a number of challenges, from needing new infrastructure to regulatory concerns, to convincing passengers that the technology is safe.
For a start, Ehang will be working with the authorities in Guangzhou to build up infrastructure like landing and take off pads, according to Xiong. The company was recently picked by the Civil Aviation Administration of China as the country’s first company to start a pilot program for the development of autonomous passenger drones.
The startup is also working with Chinese regulators to develop an updated set of regulations to account for this new technology, as existing laws are lacking on this front.
“We are seeing so much positive changes in the past several years,” Xiong said. “When we started from … year 2016 ... nobody even know what is this all about. So earlier this year we have this official approval from China Civil Aviation Administration basically allowing us to have this pilot program … because we are ... working together ... to build up the standard.”
But Ehang will also need to convince consumers that the flights will be completely safe. It claims that it has conducted over 2,000 test flights inside and outside of China in various weather conditions, and is confident of the safety standards.
“So we are confident to say it’s safe because you know from the ... the original design of this aircraft, its safer than most traditional aircraft. Because we have 16 propellers, 16 motors and we have this super efficient safety power redundancy system, meaning even if you … lost the motors or even several motors you’re still fine,” Xiong said.
“Secondly, we have been working on this for many many years and we have … enough testing data … to prove this is a safe technology,” he said.
Ehang's website doesn't even provide specs for this drone.
casual
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the one in the video is Ehang 216, 2 seater version
Chinese scientists are trying to develop drones that can fly without the help of a satellite
Photo: AP
Scientists and engineers in southern China say they have developed technology that will allow drones to navigate accurately without satellite guidance.
Most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rely on systems such as China’s BeiDou or America’s GPS to find their way around, but signals can be jammed or weakened.
Military drones can be equipped with terrain-contour matching software and guidance systems such as gyroscopes to watch their speed and direction and use that information to work out their position from point of take-off.
But these systems are too bulky, complex and expensive for commercial drones. At the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology in Guangdong province, Professor Zhou Yimin and her colleagues think they have a simple solution to a weighty problem.
They developed software that can fix an object on the ground, such as a tree, from a series of images taken by a video camera aboard the drone. The data is combined with the readings from the UAV’s movement sensors and a flight path coordinated.
According to a patent filed by Zhou’s team in July, the system had to overcome a problem – an industry standard camera takes 30 frames per second, far more than the computer aboard a typical drone can process.
To solve the problem, Zhou allowed the computer to “cherry-pick” the photos it used for ground reference. She wrote an algorithm that would quickly look over the images and single out those with helpful landmarks.
This could also mean that the tree could be blurred by motion or blocked from view by a building. But the drone would fly on and its sensors would correct its course when observations resumed.
Zhou could not be reached for comment on her team’s findings.
On Monday, a scientist at the institute in Shenzhen – home to some of the world’s biggest drone producers – confirmed the development but would not talk about the accuracy and effective range of the system because of its possible military sensitivity.
Engineers are seeking alternatives to satellite navigation for commercial drones. Photo: Nvidia
Professor Zhao Long, digital navigation centre director with the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said it was becoming possible for small drones to fly without satellite help thanks to the maturity of alternative technology and the falling cost of hardware.
US-based company Nvidia launched a similar project in 2017, while this year Everdrone, a Swedish company, completed the first autonomous journey between two hospitals in Gothenburg using a UAV with limited GPS help.
“But there are still some environments in which they [drones] cannot fly,” Zhao said.
This may including night-time flights where UAV cameras struggle to find reference points.
Out-of-the-box commercial drones using GPS, BeiDou, Europe’s Galileo or Russia’s Glonnas receivers will not navigate in no-fly zones near sensitive facilities such as airports and government buildings.
But governments and armed forces were already preparing for GPS-free drones, Zhao said.
The latest anti-drone systems consist not only of a device to jam satellite signals, but also have low-frequency sound monitors, highly sensitive radar and powerful lasers to locate and destroy intruders.
“[So] I don’t see a reason why alternative guidance technology should be barred from civilian [use],” Zhao said.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: new drone navigation system may rival GPS
Photo: AP
Scientists and engineers in southern China say they have developed technology that will allow drones to navigate accurately without satellite guidance.
Most unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) rely on systems such as China’s BeiDou or America’s GPS to find their way around, but signals can be jammed or weakened.
Military drones can be equipped with terrain-contour matching software and guidance systems such as gyroscopes to watch their speed and direction and use that information to work out their position from point of take-off.
But these systems are too bulky, complex and expensive for commercial drones. At the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology in Guangdong province, Professor Zhou Yimin and her colleagues think they have a simple solution to a weighty problem.
They developed software that can fix an object on the ground, such as a tree, from a series of images taken by a video camera aboard the drone. The data is combined with the readings from the UAV’s movement sensors and a flight path coordinated.
According to a patent filed by Zhou’s team in July, the system had to overcome a problem – an industry standard camera takes 30 frames per second, far more than the computer aboard a typical drone can process.
To solve the problem, Zhou allowed the computer to “cherry-pick” the photos it used for ground reference. She wrote an algorithm that would quickly look over the images and single out those with helpful landmarks.
This could also mean that the tree could be blurred by motion or blocked from view by a building. But the drone would fly on and its sensors would correct its course when observations resumed.
Zhou could not be reached for comment on her team’s findings.
On Monday, a scientist at the institute in Shenzhen – home to some of the world’s biggest drone producers – confirmed the development but would not talk about the accuracy and effective range of the system because of its possible military sensitivity.
Engineers are seeking alternatives to satellite navigation for commercial drones. Photo: Nvidia
Professor Zhao Long, digital navigation centre director with the Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, said it was becoming possible for small drones to fly without satellite help thanks to the maturity of alternative technology and the falling cost of hardware.
US-based company Nvidia launched a similar project in 2017, while this year Everdrone, a Swedish company, completed the first autonomous journey between two hospitals in Gothenburg using a UAV with limited GPS help.
“But there are still some environments in which they [drones] cannot fly,” Zhao said.
This may including night-time flights where UAV cameras struggle to find reference points.
Out-of-the-box commercial drones using GPS, BeiDou, Europe’s Galileo or Russia’s Glonnas receivers will not navigate in no-fly zones near sensitive facilities such as airports and government buildings.
But governments and armed forces were already preparing for GPS-free drones, Zhao said.
The latest anti-drone systems consist not only of a device to jam satellite signals, but also have low-frequency sound monitors, highly sensitive radar and powerful lasers to locate and destroy intruders.
“[So] I don’t see a reason why alternative guidance technology should be barred from civilian [use],” Zhao said.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: new drone navigation system may rival GPS
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