CH-4 Photo: Courtesy of CH UAV

China's independently developed CH-4 drone with an upgraded domestic heavy-fuel engine has recently completed its maiden flight. The domestic engine enables the updated version of the CH-4 drone to fly at higher altitudes for longer endurance and with heavier loads, said the aircraft's maker on Wednesday.

The self-developed CH-4 drone with a heavy-fuel engine has recently completed scientific research tests in which it successfully carried out autonomous takeoff and landing, waypoint flight, full load transportation and tests under maximum flight altitudes and endurance, the Global Times learned from CH UAV company on Wednesday.

The heavy-fuel engine used in the upgraded CH-4 drone was completely domestically made from development to production, said Shi Wen, chief engineer of the CH series drone. 

The engine offers low fuel consumption, long flight endurance and a wide range of application environments, Shi said.

"With the new heavy-fuel aviation engine, the drone can remain in the sky for significantly longer, fly further, and reach higher cruise altitudes and ceilings. Its payload capacity has also increased by 30 to 50 percent", Shi said.

Analysts said that the new domestic engine will help the CH-4 in terms of its capability, and make it more competitive on the market.

The CH-4 is one of the best-selling armed reconnaissance drones on the international market. It can also serve civilian purposes like high-resolution land observation, mapping, communications, aerial object detection, and environmental monitoring and forest fire prevention.

In addition to the CH-4, the series also includes the more capable CH-5, the larger CH-6, the stealth CH-7 and the tilt-rotor CH-10.

Global Times