China’s largest locally-built unmanned helicopter is now in service in Shandong province, authorities said on Thursday. The mid-sized helicopter has passed all required flight tests and is fully operational, reported Xinhua.

The helicopter, with some marked design similarities to the Brantly B2 of the 1950s, has an available load of 80kg, maximum speed of 161kmh (100 mph, 86 knots) and a duration of over four hours.  Service ceiling is reported to be 10,000 ft, and the aircraft can be controlled from up to 150km away or programmed for autonomous flight.

The aircraft has been developed together by the following organizations:- Weifang Tianxiang Aerospace Industry Co.Ltd., Qingdao Haili Helicopters Manufacturing Co. Ltd, China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation.

Local reports say that at least 15 examples are on order.

Harry I Shu – HeliHub.com Beijing correspondent