China's first 7-ton unmanned logistics aircraft ready for maiden flight

China's first seven-ton unmanned logistics aircraft, the Changying-8, has been well prepared for its maiden flight, according to the China North Industries Group Corporation Limited (NORINCO).

The maiden flight is scheduled to take place at Zhengzhou Shangjie Airport in central China's Henan Province, aiming to verify key subjects of various systems such as intelligent flight control, power fuel, and flight quality.

The Changying-8, 17 meters in length with a wingspan of 25 meters, is a large unmanned logistics aircraft independently developed by China.

Its 18-cubic-meter super-large cargo bay is capable of accommodating various types of standard air cargo containers and professional cold chain storage containers.

Moreover, it can complete loading and unloading within 15 minutes, significantly enhancing the efficiency of logistics turnover.

In addition, the Changying-8 owns a takeoff weight of seven tons, a payload capacity of 3.5 tons, and a maximum cruising range of over 3,000 kilometers. It is capable of taking off and landing at high altitudes, and within a short distance of 200 meters.

"What is currently underway is refueling. There is quite a lot of work to be done before the maiden flight. After the system integration, the static joint test of the entire aircraft was conducted, and the ground start-up of the engine and the taxiing tests at low and medium to high speeds were completed. The examination in the morning shows that it's good in overall condition, and ready for flight," said Shi Lei, technical director in charge of the aircraft with the NORINCO.

It is planned that the Changying-8 will take off through taxiing and fly for over 30 minutes to complete the verification of key subjects in various systems. "For the maiden flight, we prioritize safety. We need to verify the working coordination among systems, whether the Changying-8 can maintain a certain speed and altitude on the pre-bound route. We also need to verify the correctness and coordination of the command and control station's monitoring over the system," Shi said.

China's first 7-ton unmanned logistics aircraft ready for maiden flight

Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Thursday presided over a State Council executive meeting that studied work on building a unified national market and reviewed and approved a plan for the development of a modern emergency response system during the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

Noting that building a unified national market is essential to advancing high-quality development, the meeting called for deepening institutional frameworks in areas such as property rights protection, market access, fair competition, social credit and market exit mechanisms.

The meeting also urged efforts to advance high-standard connectivity of market infrastructure to facilitate smooth economic circulation and effectively reduce logistics costs across society.

Emergency management is critical to protecting people's lives and property, the meeting said. It called for accelerating the development of a modern emergency response system, deepening reform and innovation in emergency management, and improving coordinated response mechanisms.

Efforts should be made to strengthen risk prevention at the source, enhance monitoring, forecasting and early warning, and accelerate a shift in governance toward proactive prevention, according to the meeting.

A draft revision of the Law on the People's Bank of China was also discussed and approved in principle at the meeting, which decided to submit the draft to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.

Chinese premier chairs State Council executive meeting