Deino
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Any news ?? That image alone is old ...
Chinese UAV News & Discussions (Strictly)
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cirr
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Come see China's new hexacopters and self-detonating drones
What the People's Liberation Army has up its sleeve.
By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer 7 hours ago
CH-901
This display at the Military Museum indicates that the 20-pound CH-901 drone, which can be used as a loitering munition, is in service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Behind it is a smaller recon unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that's launched from the smaller tubes on the 4X4 launch armored fighting vehicle (AFV).
Oedo Soldier
As part of its celebration of the People's Liberation Army, the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing is showing off a range of exciting exhibitions, offering a peek into the PLA's new self-propelled artillery, cruise missiles, ballistic missile launchers, and—perhaps most notably—tactical unmanned aerial systems.
First up, there's official confirmation that the CH-901 "kamikaze" loitering attack munitions (a short-ranged mini-drone) is in use by the PLA. First publicly displayed at the DSA 2016 arms fair, CH-901 is a 20-pound, fixed-wing drone with a flight speed range of 9 to 90 miles per hour. It's got a 1.2-mile-range electro optical camera for reconnaissance (it can be recovered this way) and/or it can crash into enemy targets, detonating its warhead. It is comparable to the American Aerovironment "Switchblade" used by Special Operations. At the Military Museum, a 4X4 armored fighting vehicle (AFV) is armed with a pop-up hatch that carries eight CH-901 pneumatically launch tubes. The launcher also has four launch tubes for a smaller fixed-wing reconnaissance UAV. The CH-901 launcher is likely to be used by lighter units like Special Operations, or amphibious and airborne troops, which cannot always count on conventional air and artillery support.
SLIDE AND LAUNCH
These tactical hexacopters can be deployed for launch by sliding their rack on the AFV backdoor, and use them to support company/battalion operations.
Oedo Soldier, via Weibo.
Another 4X4 AFV had an even more interesting cargo: three large hexacopter drones, with collapsible rotor-housing struts. Carried on a slide-out rack deployed out of the rear infantry exfiltration door of the vehicle, each hexacopter is about 4 feet tall, with a wingspan of about 6 and a half feet and a large dome camera mounted on the main body.
Judging by the performance of other similarly-sized hexacopters—like the 33-pound JSSG hexacopter—this reconnaissance vehicle would have a range of about 6-9 miles, a flight altitude of over 3,000 feet, top speed of 50 miles per hour and enough battery life for 1 hour of flight time. The setting suggests that the hexacopters would likely be deployed at the battalion or company level, and be used for communications and reconnaissance purposes.
TACTICAL DRONES
The hexacopter, like the fixed wing UAV in front of it, are both used for tactical information gathering by Chinese troops.
Oedo Soldier
Next to the hexacopter carrier display was another tactical unmanned aircraft system of interesting design. The systems is 2 meter wide flying wing with its electric propellers facing down, suggesting that it could be a tilt rotor drone with vertical take off and conventional flight capabilities. The putative tilt rotor tactical drone is also likely to be carried by another 4X4 AFV.
The display fits well within the wider vision of the PLA. The planned integration of unmanned systems into the tactical level—in addition to cutting the total number of ground troops to increase resources per capita—suggests the army is hoping to delegate responsibility and initiatives to lower-level officers, in light of the increasingly chaotic battlefields seen in Iraq and Ukraine.
http://www.popsci.com/china-new-drones-army-hexacopters#page-2
What the People's Liberation Army has up its sleeve.
By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer 7 hours ago
CH-901
This display at the Military Museum indicates that the 20-pound CH-901 drone, which can be used as a loitering munition, is in service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Behind it is a smaller recon unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that's launched from the smaller tubes on the 4X4 launch armored fighting vehicle (AFV).
Oedo Soldier
As part of its celebration of the People's Liberation Army, the Military Museum of the Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing is showing off a range of exciting exhibitions, offering a peek into the PLA's new self-propelled artillery, cruise missiles, ballistic missile launchers, and—perhaps most notably—tactical unmanned aerial systems.
First up, there's official confirmation that the CH-901 "kamikaze" loitering attack munitions (a short-ranged mini-drone) is in use by the PLA. First publicly displayed at the DSA 2016 arms fair, CH-901 is a 20-pound, fixed-wing drone with a flight speed range of 9 to 90 miles per hour. It's got a 1.2-mile-range electro optical camera for reconnaissance (it can be recovered this way) and/or it can crash into enemy targets, detonating its warhead. It is comparable to the American Aerovironment "Switchblade" used by Special Operations. At the Military Museum, a 4X4 armored fighting vehicle (AFV) is armed with a pop-up hatch that carries eight CH-901 pneumatically launch tubes. The launcher also has four launch tubes for a smaller fixed-wing reconnaissance UAV. The CH-901 launcher is likely to be used by lighter units like Special Operations, or amphibious and airborne troops, which cannot always count on conventional air and artillery support.
SLIDE AND LAUNCH
These tactical hexacopters can be deployed for launch by sliding their rack on the AFV backdoor, and use them to support company/battalion operations.
Oedo Soldier, via Weibo.
Another 4X4 AFV had an even more interesting cargo: three large hexacopter drones, with collapsible rotor-housing struts. Carried on a slide-out rack deployed out of the rear infantry exfiltration door of the vehicle, each hexacopter is about 4 feet tall, with a wingspan of about 6 and a half feet and a large dome camera mounted on the main body.
Judging by the performance of other similarly-sized hexacopters—like the 33-pound JSSG hexacopter—this reconnaissance vehicle would have a range of about 6-9 miles, a flight altitude of over 3,000 feet, top speed of 50 miles per hour and enough battery life for 1 hour of flight time. The setting suggests that the hexacopters would likely be deployed at the battalion or company level, and be used for communications and reconnaissance purposes.
TACTICAL DRONES
The hexacopter, like the fixed wing UAV in front of it, are both used for tactical information gathering by Chinese troops.
Oedo Soldier
Next to the hexacopter carrier display was another tactical unmanned aircraft system of interesting design. The systems is 2 meter wide flying wing with its electric propellers facing down, suggesting that it could be a tilt rotor drone with vertical take off and conventional flight capabilities. The putative tilt rotor tactical drone is also likely to be carried by another 4X4 AFV.
The display fits well within the wider vision of the PLA. The planned integration of unmanned systems into the tactical level—in addition to cutting the total number of ground troops to increase resources per capita—suggests the army is hoping to delegate responsibility and initiatives to lower-level officers, in light of the increasingly chaotic battlefields seen in Iraq and Ukraine.
http://www.popsci.com/china-new-drones-army-hexacopters#page-2
Zarvan
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Details of Chinese sea-skimming lethal drone prototype emerge
Kelvin Wong - IHS Jane's Missiles & Rockets
28 July 2017
The CH-T1/Unmanned Ground Effect Air Vehicle demonstrator seen in flight during an undated demonstration. Source: Jane’s sources
Jane’s sources have shed new light on a hitherto unseen anti-ship weapon/unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-like system – centred around a wing-in-ground-effect optimised airframe – that was initially circulated on Chinese internet discussion forums around May 2017 in a Mandarin language brochure with a redacted product designation.
Developed by defence prime China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's (CASC's) China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) subsidiary, the system has been given the product designation of CH-T1, although it is understood that the company prefers to identify it as the Ground Effect UAV (GEUAV) demonstrator.
The forward segment of the 5.8 m long GEUAV demonstrator is shaped like a conventional missile, with a cylindrical fuselage capped by an ogival nosecone where the radar seeker is located. Towards the rear is an unconventionally designed main body featuring two thick, long chord but short-span stubby wing structures running along the sides of its belly that combine to form a continuous wing-like undersurface. Two small outer wings can be found at the front of the main stub wings, along with upwards cranked V-tailfins at the rear that have an overall span of 3.8 m.
The air vehicle has a specified maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 3,000 kg – although the prototype weighed significantly less during trials as it only carried partial payloads and fuel loads – and achieves take-off via rocket assisted catapult launch. It can be powered by either a turbojet or turbofan engine, which enables it to travel at a maximum speed of Mach 0.65 (802 km/h) while cruising at terrain hugging altitudes of 1–6 m. The engine draws its air from an intake located on top of its main body to avoid ingesting sea spray during low level flight overwater.
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http://www.janes.com/article/72680/details-of-chinese-sea-skimming-lethal-drone-prototype-emerge
Kelvin Wong - IHS Jane's Missiles & Rockets
28 July 2017
The CH-T1/Unmanned Ground Effect Air Vehicle demonstrator seen in flight during an undated demonstration. Source: Jane’s sources
Jane’s sources have shed new light on a hitherto unseen anti-ship weapon/unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-like system – centred around a wing-in-ground-effect optimised airframe – that was initially circulated on Chinese internet discussion forums around May 2017 in a Mandarin language brochure with a redacted product designation.
Developed by defence prime China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's (CASC's) China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA) subsidiary, the system has been given the product designation of CH-T1, although it is understood that the company prefers to identify it as the Ground Effect UAV (GEUAV) demonstrator.
The forward segment of the 5.8 m long GEUAV demonstrator is shaped like a conventional missile, with a cylindrical fuselage capped by an ogival nosecone where the radar seeker is located. Towards the rear is an unconventionally designed main body featuring two thick, long chord but short-span stubby wing structures running along the sides of its belly that combine to form a continuous wing-like undersurface. Two small outer wings can be found at the front of the main stub wings, along with upwards cranked V-tailfins at the rear that have an overall span of 3.8 m.
The air vehicle has a specified maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 3,000 kg – although the prototype weighed significantly less during trials as it only carried partial payloads and fuel loads – and achieves take-off via rocket assisted catapult launch. It can be powered by either a turbojet or turbofan engine, which enables it to travel at a maximum speed of Mach 0.65 (802 km/h) while cruising at terrain hugging altitudes of 1–6 m. The engine draws its air from an intake located on top of its main body to avoid ingesting sea spray during low level flight overwater.
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(310 of 810 words)
http://www.janes.com/article/72680/details-of-chinese-sea-skimming-lethal-drone-prototype-emerge
Deino
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Any info on to what unit and branch? ... And I hope for images soon.
cirr
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Soon you guys can bomb the sh1t out of your foes in the comfort of your living room
China’s CASC plans app-based control system for Cai Hong UAVs
Kelvin Wong - IHS Jane's International Defence Review
03 August 2017
CASC engineers ready a pair of CH-4 strike-capable reconnaissance UAVs for a flight test in northwestern China. The company is developing an app-based interface to simplify higher order UAV operations. Source: IHS Markit/Kelvin Wong
Engineers at the Beijing-based China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform, systems, and technology business unit of defence prime China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), are developing a new app-based UAV management system specifically designed to reduce the complexities of operating larger, multirole air vehicles in the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) class.
Jane’s sources revealed that such an effort had been under way since 2014 and the company aims to have early software builds ready for field trials “in the near future”. It is expected that the yet-to-be-named app-based system will be made available as an option for the company’s flagship products such as the Cai Hong 4 (Rainbow 4, or CH-4) – which is already in service a number of countries in Central Asia and the Middle East – and the recently market-ready CH-5 strike-capable reconnaissance MALE UAVs when fully developed.
A company official briefed Jane’s that the proposed management system takes the form of open architecture software that exploits the high level of automation that is already inherent in the company’s UAV platforms – which are already capable of automatic take-off and landing and autonomous navigation – to enable an operator to assign tasks to one or multiple platforms using easily identifiable app icons.
“Our app-based approach is designed to increase the effectiveness of UAV missions by raising operator focus from the level of tactical operation to that of supervision,” the official explained. “By automating most, if not all tactical functions, we are also aiming to ease the cognitive burden on operators, enabling them to supervise and command multiple concurrent UAV missions without losing effectiveness.”
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http://www.janes.com/article/72866/china-s-casc-plans-app-based-control-system-for-cai-hong-uavs
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China’s CASC plans app-based control system for Cai Hong UAVs
Kelvin Wong - IHS Jane's International Defence Review
03 August 2017
CASC engineers ready a pair of CH-4 strike-capable reconnaissance UAVs for a flight test in northwestern China. The company is developing an app-based interface to simplify higher order UAV operations. Source: IHS Markit/Kelvin Wong
Engineers at the Beijing-based China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform, systems, and technology business unit of defence prime China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), are developing a new app-based UAV management system specifically designed to reduce the complexities of operating larger, multirole air vehicles in the medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) class.
Jane’s sources revealed that such an effort had been under way since 2014 and the company aims to have early software builds ready for field trials “in the near future”. It is expected that the yet-to-be-named app-based system will be made available as an option for the company’s flagship products such as the Cai Hong 4 (Rainbow 4, or CH-4) – which is already in service a number of countries in Central Asia and the Middle East – and the recently market-ready CH-5 strike-capable reconnaissance MALE UAVs when fully developed.
A company official briefed Jane’s that the proposed management system takes the form of open architecture software that exploits the high level of automation that is already inherent in the company’s UAV platforms – which are already capable of automatic take-off and landing and autonomous navigation – to enable an operator to assign tasks to one or multiple platforms using easily identifiable app icons.
“Our app-based approach is designed to increase the effectiveness of UAV missions by raising operator focus from the level of tactical operation to that of supervision,” the official explained. “By automating most, if not all tactical functions, we are also aiming to ease the cognitive burden on operators, enabling them to supervise and command multiple concurrent UAV missions without losing effectiveness.”
Want to read more? For analysis on this article and access to all our insight content, please enquire about our subscription options: ihs.com/contact
http://www.janes.com/article/72866/china-s-casc-plans-app-based-control-system-for-cai-hong-uavs
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Zarvan
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China's CH-4 armed reconnaissance UAV receives upgrades
An upgraded CH-4 reconnaissance/strike unmanned aerial vehicle, which can be identified by a more pronounced bulged nose section, being readied for a live-fire test with AR-1 and AR-2 anti-armour missiles at an undisclosed facility in northwest China. Source: IHS Markit/Kelvin Wong
Chinese defence firm China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has incorporated a number of enhancements to its Cai Hong 4 (Rainbow 4, or CH-4) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that are now fully validated and available as options in its export product portfolio, Jane's has learned during a demonstration in northwest China in late July.
The CH-4 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE)-class, strike-capable reconnaissance platform that has been developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), and is in service with a number of military forces in Central Asia and the Middle East.
According to the latest official specifications provided by CAAA, the CH-4 has a maximum take-off weight of 1,330 kg and a payload capacity of 345 kg. Glass fibre-based composite materials are used extensively to construct the 8.5 m-long main body and 18 m span wings, reducing the overall weight of the air vehicle as well as its radar cross-section (RCS).
Jane's understands that the CH-4 is presently powered by a 100 hp-class piston engine, which drives a three-bladed variable pitch pusher propeller and enables the air vehicle to achieve cruise and maximum speeds of up to 180 km/h and 235 km/h respectively, with a maximum endurance of up to 40 hours. It typically performs its missions at altitudes of 3,000–5,000 m (9,842–19,685 ft), although it is capable of operating up to a service ceiling of 7,200 m.
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http://www.janes.com/article/72877/china-s-ch-4-armed-reconnaissance-uav-receives-upgrades
An upgraded CH-4 reconnaissance/strike unmanned aerial vehicle, which can be identified by a more pronounced bulged nose section, being readied for a live-fire test with AR-1 and AR-2 anti-armour missiles at an undisclosed facility in northwest China. Source: IHS Markit/Kelvin Wong
Chinese defence firm China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has incorporated a number of enhancements to its Cai Hong 4 (Rainbow 4, or CH-4) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that are now fully validated and available as options in its export product portfolio, Jane's has learned during a demonstration in northwest China in late July.
The CH-4 is a medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE)-class, strike-capable reconnaissance platform that has been developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), and is in service with a number of military forces in Central Asia and the Middle East.
According to the latest official specifications provided by CAAA, the CH-4 has a maximum take-off weight of 1,330 kg and a payload capacity of 345 kg. Glass fibre-based composite materials are used extensively to construct the 8.5 m-long main body and 18 m span wings, reducing the overall weight of the air vehicle as well as its radar cross-section (RCS).
Jane's understands that the CH-4 is presently powered by a 100 hp-class piston engine, which drives a three-bladed variable pitch pusher propeller and enables the air vehicle to achieve cruise and maximum speeds of up to 180 km/h and 235 km/h respectively, with a maximum endurance of up to 40 hours. It typically performs its missions at altitudes of 3,000–5,000 m (9,842–19,685 ft), although it is capable of operating up to a service ceiling of 7,200 m.
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(254 of 890 words)
http://www.janes.com/article/72877/china-s-ch-4-armed-reconnaissance-uav-receives-upgrades
Deino
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"National Target Signature Research and Experimental Center"
It that where the J-20 is mounted on that RCS-pole ?
Akasa
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"National Target Signature Research and Experimental Center"
Interesting! The leftmost photo shows what could be the Sharp Sword; is it true that the Sharp Sword is about to enter mass production (as per rumors)?
Deino
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But it looks different - revised ? - to the original Sharp Sword !
"National Target Signature Research and Experimental Center"
Like I thought at first: Taken at the same RCS teststand at Gaobeidian (39.370868 N 115.927317 E)
JSCh
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Manufacturers develop technology to detect drones, prevent illegal flying
By Li Ruohan Source:Global Times Published: 2017/8/10 21:38:39
Chinese manufactures have developed technologies to detect and regulate illegal drone flying, said drone experts, adding that the technologies should be fully used by regulators to ensure the safety of civil aviation.
"Currently, the technologies developed by domestic and foreign companies can spot and locate the majority of drones flying in China," Li Anping, head of the OET Radio Spectrum Technology Institute under the State Radio Monitoring Center, told the Global Times on Thursday.
The equipment include a network that could detect and force a drone to leave a protected region and "electromagnetic guns" which could send electromagnetic interference signals to block the user's control of drones and force the vehicle to land on the ground, according to Li.
A similar gun, priced at 250,000 yuan ($37,530), was used by police in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province during a soccer match in March to drive away six drones, local newspaper Changjiang Daily reported.
Moreover, the technology could also identify the users and their location, with the margin of error ranging from dozens to one hundred meters, depending on the power of the signal and ground settings, Li told the Global Times.
China has witnessed a rapid growth in drone sales in recent years. In 2016, around 390,000 drones were sold in the country and the number is expected to surpass 3 million in 2019, financial newspaper National Business Daily reported on June 27.
However, illegal drone flying, especially by drone enthusiasts, has also affected normal flights and raised safety concerns.
In April, several drones illegally flew around the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, forcing up to 100 flights to land at alternative airports, the National Business Daily reported.
Meanwhile, some drones are used to peep into military facilities as they are harder to detect and could enter regions with complex terrain, said experts, calling on regulators to fully use the anti-drone technology to enhance safety of civil aviation and protect military facilities.
Drone manufacturers also need to take responsibility, such as installing "electronic barriers" on their products, Hou Min, a deputy director of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China, told the Global Times.
An "electronic barrier" installed in the drone could automatically block the vehicle from entering a protected region, such as airports and military facilities, according to Hou.
As drones are widely popular among the young generation, the education on legal drone flying must start from school, he added.
To better regulate the sector, China's aviation authorities released a draft regulation on Wednesday that requires businesses operating drones, such as those using drones to spray fertilizer and taking photos, to apply for a permit for the operation.
The draft also requires the business applicant to be a Chinese national. Those who operate drone-training businesses must get authorization from the authorities, the document said.
By Li Ruohan Source:Global Times Published: 2017/8/10 21:38:39
Chinese manufactures have developed technologies to detect and regulate illegal drone flying, said drone experts, adding that the technologies should be fully used by regulators to ensure the safety of civil aviation.
"Currently, the technologies developed by domestic and foreign companies can spot and locate the majority of drones flying in China," Li Anping, head of the OET Radio Spectrum Technology Institute under the State Radio Monitoring Center, told the Global Times on Thursday.
The equipment include a network that could detect and force a drone to leave a protected region and "electromagnetic guns" which could send electromagnetic interference signals to block the user's control of drones and force the vehicle to land on the ground, according to Li.
A similar gun, priced at 250,000 yuan ($37,530), was used by police in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province during a soccer match in March to drive away six drones, local newspaper Changjiang Daily reported.
Moreover, the technology could also identify the users and their location, with the margin of error ranging from dozens to one hundred meters, depending on the power of the signal and ground settings, Li told the Global Times.
China has witnessed a rapid growth in drone sales in recent years. In 2016, around 390,000 drones were sold in the country and the number is expected to surpass 3 million in 2019, financial newspaper National Business Daily reported on June 27.
However, illegal drone flying, especially by drone enthusiasts, has also affected normal flights and raised safety concerns.
In April, several drones illegally flew around the Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, forcing up to 100 flights to land at alternative airports, the National Business Daily reported.
Meanwhile, some drones are used to peep into military facilities as they are harder to detect and could enter regions with complex terrain, said experts, calling on regulators to fully use the anti-drone technology to enhance safety of civil aviation and protect military facilities.
Drone manufacturers also need to take responsibility, such as installing "electronic barriers" on their products, Hou Min, a deputy director of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of China, told the Global Times.
An "electronic barrier" installed in the drone could automatically block the vehicle from entering a protected region, such as airports and military facilities, according to Hou.
As drones are widely popular among the young generation, the education on legal drone flying must start from school, he added.
To better regulate the sector, China's aviation authorities released a draft regulation on Wednesday that requires businesses operating drones, such as those using drones to spray fertilizer and taking photos, to apply for a permit for the operation.
The draft also requires the business applicant to be a Chinese national. Those who operate drone-training businesses must get authorization from the authorities, the document said.
JSCh
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How China’s cutting-edge drones are transforming the nation
From monitoring pollution to displaying ‘fireworks’ to revolutionising farming, the sky’s the limit for these hi-tech flying machines
In a small industrial area of Dongguan, a city in southern China’s Guangdong province, a drone hovers 150m above the ground. The IntelFlight device, equipped with a sensor that detects eight types of air pollutant, is collecting data after a resident reported an unpleasant odour to the environmental authorities.
After circling for about 20 minutes, the drone transmits the information it has collected to a monitor held by its pilot in the form of a digital map with different coloured markings. A series of red dots on the map indicate the areas emitting the highest concentrations of volatile organic compounds and after studying them, the environmental inspectors quickly locate the source of the pollution – a plastics factory with a concealed chimney.
“With the help of drones, any resident can now pick up their phone and stop pollution within hours,” said Fang Jiawei, a product manager at Guangdong IntelFlight UAV, which provides drone services to the Dongguan government.
Dongguan, one of the world’s biggest manufacturing hubs, is home to more than 300,000 factories making everything from shoes to smartphones, and all crammed into a region about the size of Hong Kong. About 200 environmental inspectors oversee the plants’ emissions.
The use of pollution-detecting drones has helped the city identify and punish tens of thousands of polluting factories, and cut the number of smoggy days to just 12 last year from 104 in 2015, when the devices were introduced as part of an environmental clean-up campaign, according to the local environmental protection bureau.
In the past, residents would regularly don face masks on the streets to protect themselves from the smog. But the practice has since waned as the city’s air quality is now ranked among the best in China. The average PM2.5 level – the small polluting particles deemed most harmful to health – is 35 micrograms per cubic metre, close to that of downtown Paris.
“We’re not just impressed by the results, we’re shocked,” Fang said.
Clean ‘fireworks’
Drones are being used not only to detect pollution, but also to curb emissions. They are even transforming the thousand-year-old Chinese tradition of setting off fireworks, which are notorious for producing as much air pollution as they do noise.
At the global premiere of Hollywood action franchise Transformers: The Last Knight in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, last month, Chinese drone firm Ehang used 100 of its devices for a “fireworks” performance lasting several minutes. The flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles were synchronised to create patterns in the sky, including one of the face of Optimus Prime, a central character in the film.
In February, Ehang set a world record when it used 1,000 drones to fill the night sky with brilliant colours and dazzling patterns at an event to mark the end of the Lunar New Year holiday in Guangzhou. The use of such clean, reusable “drone fireworks” might one day replace traditional rockets and bangers altogether, the company said on its website.
“[We’ve used] a hi-tech product to transform a [traditional] show,” Ehang said in reference to the Lunar New Year event. “As people’s environmental awareness grows, they will find ‘drone fireworks’ not only safer and cleaner than traditional ones, but also more exciting and more beautiful.”
China is the world’s biggest producer and user of fireworks, manufacturing more than a million tonnes of them every year, according to industrial estimates. Despite their popularity, they produce huge amounts of harmful pollutants, like sulphur dioxide, and have been blamed for the annual peak in winter air pollutant levels in many Chinese cities, according to the environmental authorities.
Applications abound
It’s not just in the field of environmental protection that drones are transforming life in China. They’re also being used to deliver parcels, identify exam cheats and even assess conditions in disaster zones, which would otherwise be difficult to reach.
In June, Chinese courier company SF Express became the first in the country to be granted approval to use drones for logistics purposes, news portal Thepaper.cn reported. Earlier the same month, Chinese education authorities used drones to help combat cheating during the annual university entrance exams, Reuters reported. And in 2015, when a warehouse explosion devastated the port city of Tianjin, the People’s Insurance Company of China turned to Chinese-made drones to analyse and estimate the extent of the damage for German carmaker Volkswagen.
“The rise of drones in China isn’t an accident”, said a Beijing-based researcher involved in developing related technology for the Chinese military. As the world’s largest manufacturer, China can quickly mass produce new technology at low prices.
In Shenzhen alone – a major manufacturing base in Guangdong – there are more than 300 companies involved in taking drone technology in new directions, according to the researcher, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of his job.
“In other countries, the most advanced drone technologies are first adopted by the military before finding a civilian use. In China, sometimes it can be the opposite,” the researcher said. Zooming in on an industrial polluter, for instance, can be as technically challenging as catching terrorists in the Gobi Desert, as both tasks require the use of different sensors and sophisticated algorithms, he said. “Drones can enhance or even save lives.”
The devices are not without their problems, however. There have been many reports in the Chinese media of drones flying into restricted airspace, disrupting signals and causing temporary airport closures. In an effort to control the situation, the Civil Aviation Administration of China introduced a new policy, which took effect on June 1, requiring all Chinese pilots of recreational drones to register their names with the regulator.
Good quality drones can also be prohibitively expensive to individuals and small businesses. Operating them well requires a lot of skill and practise, while battery issues limit their range and how long they can remain airborne.
Nevertheless, the expanding range of applications for drones in China and a rapidly increasing user base have created huge market potential. The domestic market is expected to grow tenfold to 200 billion yuan (US$29.4 billion), according to a Shenzhen government estimate released this year.
China is already home to the world’s leading drone firms, like Beijing’s Ehang and Shenzhen-based DJI, while Shenzhen is where more than 70 per cent of the world’s drones are currently made.
Transforming farming
Another major application for drones is in agriculture. Liu Jun, a farmer from the village of Dongan, Yanshou county, in northern China’s Heilongjiang province, said that this summer it was almost impossible to cross a field without hearing the buzzing of drones.
“That wasn’t the case last year. Then, boom, there were drones everywhere. And they’re doing all the dirty and harmful work such as spraying crops with pesticides and disease prevention drugs,” Liu said.
“Overnight, their performance [in the agriculture sector] has changed farmers’ suspicions of new technology. Now almost every farming family in our village has either bought or hired a drone.”
Heilongjiang, which spans more than 13 million hectares of flat, fertile farmland, churns out more agricultural products than any other province in China. According to government statistics, its annual food output is enough to feed everyone in China for nearly two months.
As in many other parts of China, however, Heilongjiang’s agriculture sector is facing a growing labour shortage as young people head to the city in search of better pay and less physically demanding work.
“Drones are saving us,” said Liu, who helped set up Dongan’s “drone squadron”. More than 20 young people in the village are training to become professional drone pilots this year. Last year, the number was just one, he said.
A drone pilot earns 15 yuan for spraying pesticide over a hectare of farmland. The best pilots can cover 15 hectares in a day.
“It’s easy for a drone pilot to earn more than 10,000 yuan a month,” Liu said, adding that few city jobs open to migrant workers pay more.
Employing drone pilots saves farmers money, too, as they don’t need to recruit lots of people to spray pesticides. Also, as awareness of the hazards of chemicals has grown, fewer young people have been willing to do the job the traditional way.
Drones perform better and are more precise than the traditional aircraft sometimes used for crop spraying. The devices fly at a slower speeds and lower altitudes, which allows them to cover almost every corner of the fields.
Liu said that a recent software upgrade even allows the drones in his village to be operated independently of a human pilot. Once the boundaries are marked out using a smartphone app, the drone generates an optimal flight plan, and takes off and lands all on its own.
“What has happened in my village can happen in many other villages across China,” Liu said, adding that even older farmers are now embracing the technology.
“Old Chinese farmers drive tractors. Modern Chinese farmers fly drones,” he said.
How China’s cutting-edge drones are transforming the nation | South China Morning Post
From monitoring pollution to displaying ‘fireworks’ to revolutionising farming, the sky’s the limit for these hi-tech flying machines
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 12 August, 2017, 8:03pm
UPDATED : Saturday, 12 August, 2017, 8:02pm
Stephen Chen
UPDATED : Saturday, 12 August, 2017, 8:02pm
Stephen Chen
In a small industrial area of Dongguan, a city in southern China’s Guangdong province, a drone hovers 150m above the ground. The IntelFlight device, equipped with a sensor that detects eight types of air pollutant, is collecting data after a resident reported an unpleasant odour to the environmental authorities.
After circling for about 20 minutes, the drone transmits the information it has collected to a monitor held by its pilot in the form of a digital map with different coloured markings. A series of red dots on the map indicate the areas emitting the highest concentrations of volatile organic compounds and after studying them, the environmental inspectors quickly locate the source of the pollution – a plastics factory with a concealed chimney.
“With the help of drones, any resident can now pick up their phone and stop pollution within hours,” said Fang Jiawei, a product manager at Guangdong IntelFlight UAV, which provides drone services to the Dongguan government.
Dongguan, one of the world’s biggest manufacturing hubs, is home to more than 300,000 factories making everything from shoes to smartphones, and all crammed into a region about the size of Hong Kong. About 200 environmental inspectors oversee the plants’ emissions.
The use of pollution-detecting drones has helped the city identify and punish tens of thousands of polluting factories, and cut the number of smoggy days to just 12 last year from 104 in 2015, when the devices were introduced as part of an environmental clean-up campaign, according to the local environmental protection bureau.
In the past, residents would regularly don face masks on the streets to protect themselves from the smog. But the practice has since waned as the city’s air quality is now ranked among the best in China. The average PM2.5 level – the small polluting particles deemed most harmful to health – is 35 micrograms per cubic metre, close to that of downtown Paris.
“We’re not just impressed by the results, we’re shocked,” Fang said.
Clean ‘fireworks’
Drones are being used not only to detect pollution, but also to curb emissions. They are even transforming the thousand-year-old Chinese tradition of setting off fireworks, which are notorious for producing as much air pollution as they do noise.
At the global premiere of Hollywood action franchise Transformers: The Last Knight in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, last month, Chinese drone firm Ehang used 100 of its devices for a “fireworks” performance lasting several minutes. The flights of the unmanned aerial vehicles were synchronised to create patterns in the sky, including one of the face of Optimus Prime, a central character in the film.
In February, Ehang set a world record when it used 1,000 drones to fill the night sky with brilliant colours and dazzling patterns at an event to mark the end of the Lunar New Year holiday in Guangzhou. The use of such clean, reusable “drone fireworks” might one day replace traditional rockets and bangers altogether, the company said on its website.
“[We’ve used] a hi-tech product to transform a [traditional] show,” Ehang said in reference to the Lunar New Year event. “As people’s environmental awareness grows, they will find ‘drone fireworks’ not only safer and cleaner than traditional ones, but also more exciting and more beautiful.”
China is the world’s biggest producer and user of fireworks, manufacturing more than a million tonnes of them every year, according to industrial estimates. Despite their popularity, they produce huge amounts of harmful pollutants, like sulphur dioxide, and have been blamed for the annual peak in winter air pollutant levels in many Chinese cities, according to the environmental authorities.
Applications abound
It’s not just in the field of environmental protection that drones are transforming life in China. They’re also being used to deliver parcels, identify exam cheats and even assess conditions in disaster zones, which would otherwise be difficult to reach.
In June, Chinese courier company SF Express became the first in the country to be granted approval to use drones for logistics purposes, news portal Thepaper.cn reported. Earlier the same month, Chinese education authorities used drones to help combat cheating during the annual university entrance exams, Reuters reported. And in 2015, when a warehouse explosion devastated the port city of Tianjin, the People’s Insurance Company of China turned to Chinese-made drones to analyse and estimate the extent of the damage for German carmaker Volkswagen.
“The rise of drones in China isn’t an accident”, said a Beijing-based researcher involved in developing related technology for the Chinese military. As the world’s largest manufacturer, China can quickly mass produce new technology at low prices.
In Shenzhen alone – a major manufacturing base in Guangdong – there are more than 300 companies involved in taking drone technology in new directions, according to the researcher, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of his job.
“In other countries, the most advanced drone technologies are first adopted by the military before finding a civilian use. In China, sometimes it can be the opposite,” the researcher said. Zooming in on an industrial polluter, for instance, can be as technically challenging as catching terrorists in the Gobi Desert, as both tasks require the use of different sensors and sophisticated algorithms, he said. “Drones can enhance or even save lives.”
The devices are not without their problems, however. There have been many reports in the Chinese media of drones flying into restricted airspace, disrupting signals and causing temporary airport closures. In an effort to control the situation, the Civil Aviation Administration of China introduced a new policy, which took effect on June 1, requiring all Chinese pilots of recreational drones to register their names with the regulator.
Good quality drones can also be prohibitively expensive to individuals and small businesses. Operating them well requires a lot of skill and practise, while battery issues limit their range and how long they can remain airborne.
Nevertheless, the expanding range of applications for drones in China and a rapidly increasing user base have created huge market potential. The domestic market is expected to grow tenfold to 200 billion yuan (US$29.4 billion), according to a Shenzhen government estimate released this year.
China is already home to the world’s leading drone firms, like Beijing’s Ehang and Shenzhen-based DJI, while Shenzhen is where more than 70 per cent of the world’s drones are currently made.
Transforming farming
Another major application for drones is in agriculture. Liu Jun, a farmer from the village of Dongan, Yanshou county, in northern China’s Heilongjiang province, said that this summer it was almost impossible to cross a field without hearing the buzzing of drones.
“That wasn’t the case last year. Then, boom, there were drones everywhere. And they’re doing all the dirty and harmful work such as spraying crops with pesticides and disease prevention drugs,” Liu said.
“Overnight, their performance [in the agriculture sector] has changed farmers’ suspicions of new technology. Now almost every farming family in our village has either bought or hired a drone.”
Heilongjiang, which spans more than 13 million hectares of flat, fertile farmland, churns out more agricultural products than any other province in China. According to government statistics, its annual food output is enough to feed everyone in China for nearly two months.
As in many other parts of China, however, Heilongjiang’s agriculture sector is facing a growing labour shortage as young people head to the city in search of better pay and less physically demanding work.
“Drones are saving us,” said Liu, who helped set up Dongan’s “drone squadron”. More than 20 young people in the village are training to become professional drone pilots this year. Last year, the number was just one, he said.
A drone pilot earns 15 yuan for spraying pesticide over a hectare of farmland. The best pilots can cover 15 hectares in a day.
“It’s easy for a drone pilot to earn more than 10,000 yuan a month,” Liu said, adding that few city jobs open to migrant workers pay more.
Employing drone pilots saves farmers money, too, as they don’t need to recruit lots of people to spray pesticides. Also, as awareness of the hazards of chemicals has grown, fewer young people have been willing to do the job the traditional way.
Drones perform better and are more precise than the traditional aircraft sometimes used for crop spraying. The devices fly at a slower speeds and lower altitudes, which allows them to cover almost every corner of the fields.
Liu said that a recent software upgrade even allows the drones in his village to be operated independently of a human pilot. Once the boundaries are marked out using a smartphone app, the drone generates an optimal flight plan, and takes off and lands all on its own.
“What has happened in my village can happen in many other villages across China,” Liu said, adding that even older farmers are now embracing the technology.
“Old Chinese farmers drive tractors. Modern Chinese farmers fly drones,” he said.
How China’s cutting-edge drones are transforming the nation | South China Morning Post
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