Chinese language aerospace company Air White Whale has done manufacturing an unmanned cargo plane with a most payload capacity of 5 tonnes that it acknowledged is the finest of its kind.
The first W5000 rolled off the company’s production line in the eastern Chinese language metropolis of Changzhou on 18 October.
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In response to Air White Whale, the plane has a payload of 5t, with a most rob-off weight of 10.8t. The W5000 – numbered as such for its payload – can operate at a most vary of 2,600km, with a cruising tempo of as a lot as 284kts (526 km).
It functions a excessive-hump construct and is powered by two turboprop engines. Air White Whale does no longer list the engine form on its internet design, but media reviews suggest the plane has two AEP-100 engines from the issue-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China.
“The W5000 is successfully matched with fashionable cargo pallets, adapts to varied loading and unloading methods, and could perchance well rob off and land at fashionable aviation airports and civil aviation airports,” Air White Whale states.
It touts its plane as a “solution” for the wants of basically the most up-to-date cargo sector, noting that the unmanned nature of the W5000 reduces manpower necessities. In response to Air White Whale, one pilot can video display as a lot as five unmanned plane at a time.
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The company has submitted certification paperwork to Chinese language regulators and expects to ship its first plane in the 2nd half of 2026.
Air White Whale has no longer named a launch buyer, but the unveiling ceremony on 18 October changed into attended by several authorities officers, as successfully as executives from cargo and logistics corporations treasure JD.com, China Jap Airlines Logistics, as successfully as China Post.
Based mostly in 2021, Air White Whale is backed by the issue-linked Changzhou Excessive-tech Jinlong investment company. Its management board is made from former executives from Comac, Airbus China, and GE Aviation.
