Chinese drone maker Tengden has flown a new uncrewed cargo aircraft with a stated payload capacity of around 4,410 pounbds (2,000 kilograms) for the first time. The twin-engine turboprop drone will be delivered to both commercial and military operators.
The successful maiden flight of the new Tengden cargo drone, lasted approximately 20 minutes. According to China Daily, the high-wing drone reportedly has a wingspan of almost 53 feet (16.1 meters) and is just over 15 feet (4.6 meters) high from the ground to the tip of its single vertical tail. It is also said to have almost 424 cubic feet (12 cubic meters) of internal payload space. The uncrewed cargo aircraft has tricycle landing gear and is designed to take off and land from traditional runaways.
After seeing the news about the first flight of cargo drone, Turkish pundits called Baykar Tech to produce a local uncrewed cargo aircraft. Baykar is the producer of renown Bayraktar TB2, Bayraktar Akıncı and Kızılelma UCAVs. It has also started to test its first mini guided missile.
Known as the best drone maker in the world, Baykar can produce better cargo drones than the Chinese, analysts say. Assoc. Prof. İbrahim Karataş told Straturka that “Baykar’s experience in drone production is far ahead of its rivals. It has already proven its expertise, which can be transferred to uncrewed cargo drone. Baykar’s Akıncı drone already flies with 1,5 ton payload, so it can easily produce a cargo aircraft carrying more than 2 tons.” Karataş adds that the market is short of producers except for some ambitious Chinese companies, thus if Baykar decides to enter the market, it can sell high numbers of cargo drones thanks to its reputation obtained from UCAVs.
