Beijing’s new hybrid-powered unmanned transport aircraft has completed its maiden flight, a development one analyst said could be a military “game changer” in the Taiwan Strait by helping supply elite frontline troops.
On Tuesday, state broadcaster CCTV described the CH YH-1000S as “the world’s first hybrid-powered unmanned transport aircraft” and said it had completed its maiden flight on Sunday at an airport in the southwestern city of Chongqing.
“[The drone] carried a high-powered hybrid power train jointly developed with a leading new energy vehicle company, significantly shortening take-off and landing distances and increasing payload and range,” CCTV said, without providing further details.
“Compared with the baseline version, the CH YH-1000S is equipped with a hybrid power-plant that allows it to operate on one or both power sources – a gas-powered engine and an electric motor,” the official English-language newspaper China Daily reported.
CCTV said this model was an improved version of its predecessor, the CH YH-1000, which used a conventional power system.
That model completed its maiden flight in May and, according to state news agency Xinhua, it can carry 1,200kg (2,600lb) of cargo, has a range of 1,500km (930 miles) and operating time of over 10 hours, and is capable of taking off and landing in complex terrain.
CCTV said that the new model could be used for international cargo deliveries, emergency rescue and disaster relief, maritime surveillance and weather monitoring.
However, analysts also pointed to the possible military uses of the technology, for example by supporting any attack on Taiwan.
Lyle Goldstein, the director of the Asia programme at Washington-based think tank Defence Priorities, said: “The drone may be a game changer. My view is that a Chinese PLA [People’s Liberation Army] invasion of Taiwan is quite feasible.
“The success of such an attack would hinge to some degree on the insertion of [airborne troops and special forces] into the rear of Taiwan’s beach defences primarily to create chaos, interdict reinforcements, and destroy headquarters or other key nodes.”
Goldstein added: “The main problem with deployment of these elite forces behind enemy lines is that they can quickly run out of ammunition and other key supplies in intensive combat. That is where these heavy drones could play a pivotal role – maintaining viable logistics for these elite forces.”
He added that if the drones could support the first wave of elite troops, subsequent landings would be much easier and the drones could “significantly reduce the risks of this difficult mission”.
Last October, Goldstein published a combat simulation that predicted that the PLA could insert tens of thousands of such elite troops into the rear of Taiwan’s defences within 24 hours of an offensive, though this would result in heavy losses.
Beijing views Taiwan as part of China and has never renounced the use of force to reunite it with the mainland. In recent years it has stepped up military and political pressure on the autonomous island.
Most countries, including the United States, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent country, but Washington opposes any attempt to seize the island by force and is committed to supplying it with arms to defend itself.
The CH series drones, developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics, a subsidiary of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, are among the bestselling Chinese drones internationally, being exported to more than 10 countries.
The corporation said this aircraft represented the first collaboration between China’s drone industry and the automotive industry to develop core technologies, adding that “through deep sharing of supply chain resources and modular production, the R&D and manufacturing costs of drones have been significantly reduced”.
In December, the company also completed the maiden flight of the long-distance stealth reconnaissance drone the CH-7.
China is the world’s leading supplier of both drones and electric vehicles, and has stepped up its efforts to win the global race to create unmanned aerial vehicles that have both military and civilian uses. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
