China’s Shenyang Institute of Automation and the Chinese Academy of Sciences have completed test flights of the Xiangying 200, claimed to be the country’s first indigenous “large” unmanned helicopter. By dimensions, appearance, and capabilities, the helicopter is virtually identical to an older-model, kit-built American Rotorway 162F, and what differences that do exist could be accounted for by changes to the main rotor system on the Xiangying 200.
Shenyang said key aircraft components such as flight controls, engine, and transmission were all made in China and that the aircraft has future applications for search and rescue, agriculture, and EMS. The Rotorway has a length of 29.5 feet, has a height of eight feet, can carry a payload of 425 pounds, and has an endurance of two hours; the Xiangying 200 has a length of 28.54 feet, a height of 8.2 feet, and can carry a payload of 440 pounds. Among the tests performed by the Xiangying 200 include takeoffs and landings from a ship deck.