On Tuesday, March 31, 2026, official Chinese news outlet China Military Online reported that the prototype Changying-8 Luca uncrewed transport aircraft had made its maiden flight from Zhengzhou Shangjie Airport in Zhengzhou, Henan Province. The aircraft was developed by state-owned defense conglomerate NORINCO (China North Industries Corporation) through its subsidiary NORINCO UAS.
Photo: China Military Online
The aircraft took off the same day at 9:30 a.m. local time and carried out a test flight lasting about 30 minutes. NORINCO UAS engineers evaluated the flight-control system, avionics, electronics, and power systems, achieving the desired results. The entire flight was controlled by the aircraft’s intelligent systems and monitored by human controllers.
The aircraft is 17 m long, has a wingspan of 25 m, and a maximum takeoff weight of 7 t, of which the payload capacity is 3.5 t – which, as the manufacturer emphasizes, corresponds to the weight of 50 adults. In humanitarian missions, the aircraft can transport more than 1,700 cotton coats or 700 emergency tents in a single flight, delivering supplies over long distances. Its maximum range is more than 3,000 km, roughly equivalent to a direct nonstop flight from Beijing to Ürümqi in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.
It can take off and land on runways shorter than 500 m and operate from airfields with more limited infrastructure, such as those on plateaus and islands. The aircraft is equipped with a cargo compartment with a capacity of 18 cubic meters, which can be opened from both the front and the rear. According to its designers, order-fulfillment time can be as short as 15 minutes, significantly increasing logistics efficiency.
The China Military Online statement claims that it is the world’s most capable transport drone. Not quite. It is indeed the largest aircraft of this kind flown to date, but a larger design has already been built in China and is still awaiting its maiden flight.
On October 22, 2024, Chinese startup Air White Whale (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. unveiled the prototype of the Air White Whale W5000, a twin-engine uncrewed aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 10.8 t and a payload capacity of up to 5 t. Its cargo hold has a usable volume of more than 65 m³ and is designed to accommodate standard cargo pallets. The aircraft is 22.9 m long and has a wingspan of 22.7 m.
Earlier, on August 12, 2024, Sichuan Tengden Technology (Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co., Ltd.) flew the prototype of a new heavy twin-engine uncrewed aircraft with a wingspan of 16.1 m and a height of 4.6 m. It features a cargo compartment with a volume of 12 m³ and a payload capacity of up to 2 t. It is also worth mentioning the Lanying UR6000 uncrewed tiltrotor, which has a maximum takeoff weight of 6.1 t, including a payload of 2 t.
China has also recently produced somewhat smaller designs, such as the CH-YH1000 from Aerospace CH UAV Co., Ltd., with a payload capacity of 1 ton, and the TP1000 from Yi-Tong UAV System Co., also with a similar payload capacity.
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