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 equities participated in a broader market selloff on Monday amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, which continued to weigh on investor risk sentiment, according to Wang Yin, market analyst at China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Chinese stocks closed mixed on Monday, with the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index up 0.24 percent to 3,923.29 points.

The Shenzhen Component Index closed 0.25 percent lower at 13,726.19 points.

"The Shanghai Composite Index fell as much as 1 percent before recouping the losses and gaining 0.24 percent at the close today. The Shanghai Composite Index has tumbled around 6 percent so far in March, which is largely wiped out all the year-to-date gain. But the index today was mainly boosted by shares of commercial aerospace and aluminum concept of sectors. Also, shares of the gold sector and energy sector outperformed with the gold sector gaining 3.4 percent and energy sector rising nearly 1 percent, with Shandong Gold Mining jumping 5.5 percent," Wang said.

"But on the flip side, the Shenzhen Component Index ended today lower by 0.24 percent. The CSI 300 Index declined as 0.24 percent. Shares of photovoltaic battery and wind power concepts leading the losses. Huadian New Energy Group was the biggest lagger tumbling 5.5 percent," she continued.

Chinese shares end mixed as Middle East tensions spark risk-off selloff