A China-developed small and medium-sized solar-powered drone, the "Light Cavalry," successfully completed its maiden flight in northwest China on Wednesday, according to the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The drone is a commercial-grade, all-electric aircraft powered solely by solar energy. Measuring 3.2 meters long and featuring an eight-meter wingspan, it has a maximum designed endurance of 30 hours.
The development team said the drone was designed to be green, energy-saving, low-cost and suitable for rapid mass production. Its main advantages include long flight time, rapid deployment and easy maintenance and support.
The drone fills a gap in China's commercial market for small and medium-sized all-electric low-altitude aircraft capable of long endurance, lower cost and large-area operations, the developers added.
It is expected to be used for long-distance pipeline inspection, inspection of major water conservancy facilities, land surveying and natural resource surveys, rapid disaster-area inspection, and large-area monitoring.
China's solar-powered drone completes maiden flight, filling commercial gap
China's appropriately accommodative monetary policy continued to deliver results in the third quarter, while the quality and effect of financial sector serving the real economy continued to improve, said the third-quarter monetary policy report released by the People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Wednesday.
The PBOC, China's central bank, said in the report that the country's credit structure continued to optimize in the third quarter.
At the end of September, loans to the technology, green, inclusive finance, elderly care and digital economy sectors grew 12.0 percent, 13.0 percent, 6.5 percent, 16.2 percent and 15.7 percent year on year, respectively, all continuing to outpace overall loan growth.
Financing costs across the economy remained low, the report showed, with new corporate loans in September carrying rates slightly below 3.0 percent and new personal housing loans around three percent.
The yuan exchange rate remained basically stable at a reasonable and balanced level. At the end of September, the yuan closed at 6.7053 per U.S. dollar, appreciating 4.1 percent from the end of 2025.
Looking ahead, the PBOC said it will continue to implement the appropriately accommodative monetary policy, comprehensively use and adjust monetary policy tools as appropriate, and guide the growth of social financing and money supply to match economic growth and the expected target for overall prices.
The central bank will seek to create a suitable monetary and financial environment for stable economic growth, high-quality development and the smooth operation of financial markets.
Appropriately accommodative monetary policy continues to deliver results in Q3: Central Bank
