Chinese startup Air White Whale completed production of its first W5000 unmanned cargo aircraft at its Changzhou factory on October 18, a company statement said. The Civil Aviation Administration of China has accepted its application for airworthiness, and the first aircraft is scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2026.

A large cargo vehicle -larger than a Cessna SkyCourier, for example- according to the manufacturer, the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) has a maximum take-off weight of 10.8 tons, a maximum payload of about 5 tons, a cruising altitude of 6,000 meters, a maximum cruising speed of 526 km/h and a maximum range of 2,600 km; it is powered by a pair of AEP100 turboprop engines developed in China. The effective volume of the hold is over 65 cubic meters. It is also "compatible with standard cargo pallets, adapts to various loading-unloading methods and can take off and land at general aviation airports. The fuselage is made of composite material".

Furthermore, using remote piloting, ground personnel can monitor 6-7 aircraft simultaneously -the note continues- at an operating piloting cost reduced to only 1/10 compared to conventional aircraft of the same class, while the cost per tonne-kilometre is 40% lower.

While the name of the flagship customer (if there is one, Ed.) is still a mystery, it is certain that the ceremony to celebrate the production of the first series aircraft was attended by executives from international freight and logistics companies, including JD.com and China Eastern Airlines Logistics. Founded in 2021, Air White Whale boasts of having among its founding members and on its board of directors former executives from Comac, Airbus China, GE Aviation, Xiaomi and other well-known aeronautical and manufacturing companies. The prototype of the W5000 will be exhibited at the "Zhuhai Airshow 2024" in China next November (from 12 to 17).