The China-based Air White Whale aviation startup has rolled out its W5000 cargo-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). (Air White Whale/Janes)
A Chinese aviation startup has announced the roll-out of a new cargo-carrying unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which the company describes as the largest transport UAV in the country.
The W5000 is a product of Air White Whale, a company based in Changzhou, eastern China. The aircraft was unveiled on 22 October at the company's Changzhou production factory. According to Air White Whale, the W5000 is a twin-turboprop aircraft with a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 10.8 tonnes, a payload capacity of five tonnes, and an inner cargo space of more than 65 m3.
The UAV is about 22.9 m long and has a wingspan of 22.7 m, the company said. Specifications previously published by the company show the UAV is being developed to achieve a range of 2,600 km and a cruising speed of 526 kt and operate at a maximum service ceiling of 6,000 m.
The company said it has applied for an airworthiness certification for the W5000 from China's Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The first model is expected to be delivered to its user in 2026, the company told state-owned media.
According to Chinese media reports, Air White Whale announced that the W5000 received CNY120 million (USD16 million) during a Series-A funding round in June 2024. It will use the funding to conduct ground-based testing and building assembly capacity while further developing the W5000 prototype, the company added.
The company has previously said the W5000 project was launched in 2021. Images released on Chinese social media in 2023 show the company using a scaled-down model of the W5000 for initial flight-testing.
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