A new breakthrough in low-altitude economy! The first scientific research flight of a domestically-made manned airship, what’s the point?

On February 21, my country's independently developed electric manned airship AS700D successfully completed its first scientific research flight in Jingmen, Hubei, verifying the technical maturity and principles, and making technical reserves for the subsequent development and application of electric airships, marking a major breakthrough in my country's new green aviation equipment in the low-altitude economy field.

Image source: CCTV News

AS700D is a fully electric powered airship independently developed by my country, with a maximum design flight speed of 80 kilometers per hour, a maximum flight altitude of 3,100 meters, and a maximum passenger capacity of 10 people including the pilot. The first scientific research flight test has carried out a total of four take-offs and landings. Based on the AS700 manned airship, it has undergone a comprehensive electrification upgrade, using advanced lithium battery electric drive systems, propeller systems, thrust vectoring systems and cooling systems to replace traditional aircraft engines and fuel systems.

According to reports, all the energy of the AS700D airship comes from lithium batteries. This change makes it quieter during flight and more suitable for use in nature reserves and ecologically sensitive areas with stricter emission requirements and limited take-off and landing sites for aerial photography, security monitoring, traffic control, etc. At the same time, the mass of the power battery of an electric airship remains approximately unchanged during flight, so the static balance parameters of the airship change very little, making it easier to control the take-off and landing of the airship.

The "Xiangyun" AS700 manned airship has opened a new chapter in green flight. The first scientific research test flight is an important achievement in the development of my country's aviation industry and a major breakthrough in the field of low-altitude economy.

Comprehensive sources: Xinhua News Agency, CCTV News, etc.