The Global Times reported (January 20) that China had indigenously developed the world's first large, three-engine utility drone which recently made its first flight and can be used in transport and attack missions. Chengdu Daily reported on January 17, that the drone is a three-engine variant of Tengden's twin-engine TB Twin-tailed Scorpion and this design is a world first for drones. The Chengdu Daily disclosed the drone has a width of 20 meters and a length of 11 meters. It is equipped with three piston engines, with one under each wing and one on its tail, enabling it to have a maximum take-off weight of 3.2 tons and an endurance of 35 hours. The drone has a flight ceiling of 9,500 meters, a max climb rate of 10 meters a second and a top speed of more than 300 kilometers an hour, the report said, noting that it is very adaptable and can be deployed in airfields in plateau areas. The extra engine makes this new drone more powerful, capable of carrying more payload and taking off at shorter ranges. The drone can be used for a wider range of purposes, such as logistics and transport, in addition to traditional drone purposes including patrols, reconnaissance and attack. The drone can also be used in areas such as disaster relief, forest firefighting, geographic mapping, meteorological observation and aerial communications relay.
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