China's large solar-powered, near-space UAV makes maiden flight

A photo shows the Qimingxing 50, or Morning Star 50, drone lifting off in Yulin, Shaanxi province, on Sept 3, 2022. (Photo by Liu Feng/chinadaily.com.cn)

China's independently-developed QMX50, a large solar-powered near-space unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), made its successful maiden flight in Yulin, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, on Saturday, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said Sunday.

The QMX50 took off at 5:50 p.m. and landed safely after a 26-minute flight, according to the AVIC, the country's leading planemaker.

The QMX50 is developed by the AVIC First Aircraft Institute and the aircraft's system components were all in good condition after the successful maiden flight, the AVIC said.

It is the first high-altitude low-speed UAV with a super-high aspect ratio, first large UAV model with a twin-fuselage configuration and first large all-electric UAV platform solely driven by solar power developed by the AVIC, according to the Chinese planemaker.