BEIJING, April 1 – China’s first self-developed civil airship, the AS700 “Xiangyun”, completed its first trial flight between two airports in Central China’s Hubei Province, laying a foundation for further long-distance test and commercial operation in assisting the development of low-altitude economy.
On Saturday, the AS700 took off from an airport in Jingmen, and completed a 180-kilometer-round flight, stopping at an airport in Jingzhou city, with a total flight hour of more than three hours, the Special Vehicle Research Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, the developer of the airship, told the Global Times on Sunday.
Zhou Lei, chief engineer for the AS700 research program, said that the trial flight verified AS700’s functions of air-ground communication, loaded equipment, and take-off and landing in different places.
“The trial flight also tested the capabilities for maintenance and research teams, which provided experience for trail flights with longer distance and duration times in future,” Zhou said.
The AS700 airship can carry up to 10 people on board, including the pilot. It has a maximum take-off weight of 4,150 kilograms, a longest flight range of 700 kilometers, a maximum endurance of 10 hours, and a top speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
