Startup Air White Whale introduced its first unmanned transport aircraft, the W5000, at an event in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.
According to Air White Whale, the new vehicle is the world’s largest unmanned cargo aircraft of its kind, Interesting Engineering reported on October 24. At the event, Hu Zhendong, president and CEO of this aviation startup, said that the company believes that large unmanned cargo aircraft will become a mainstay in the air transport industry in the future thanks to their operational efficiency. High efficiency and competitive costs.
The W5000 is equipped with a twin-turbojet engine with a maximum takeoff weight of 10.8 tons, a carrying capacity of 5 tons and an internal cargo space of about 65 m3. The aircraft has a single upper wing design and a rectangular body. Each left and right wing is equipped with a turbofan jet engine. The aircraft uses retractable three-point landing gear and can take off and land at general aviation airports.
The W5000 is about 22.9 m long, 7.5 m high with a wingspan of more than 22.7 m. It has an impressive flight range of up to 2,600 km. Maximum cruise altitude is 6,000 m, maximum cruise speed is about 526 km/h.
According to Air White Whale, the W5000 is as safe as a large commercial aircraft. In addition, it is also compatible with standard merchandise shelves, suitable for a variety of loading and unloading methods.
Another advantage is that the W5000 uses an automated ground and flight monitoring system. The crew can monitor 6 – 7 aircraft at the same time. Thanks to that, the crew’s operating costs are only 1/10 compared to other aircraft of the same type and the cost per ton of cargo per kilometer is 40% lower.
Air White Whale has applied to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for airworthiness certification for the W5000. The company expects the first unmanned cargo aircraft to be delivered to customers in 2026.
The W5000 will be displayed at the 15th China International Aerospace Exhibition taking place in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in November. This aircraft model may also go to Southeast Asian countries, China Asia, Russia and Japan.