China begins production of unmanned copters for civilian needs

BEIJING, December 7 (Itar-Tass) - A private Chinese company has
started production of unmanned helicopters for civilian needs, the Xinhua
news agency said on Tuesday.
The company has already made three independently developed drones and
plans to produce 100 such vehicles during a year, said Cheng Shenzong, the
chairman of Weifang Tianxiang Technology Group.
The company expects a growing demand for unmanned helicopters.
The helicopter's maximum flying weight is 750 kilograms. Its maximum
flight time is 4 hours and it covers a distance of 500 kilometers.
The helicopter can be used in the mining industry and in environmental
control.
The model costs 7 million yuans (approximately 1.05 million U.S.
dollars).
According to the company, their helicopter is cheaper than similar
unmanned models made in Israel and the United States, but technologies are
still behind that of foreign producers.
The company is based in Weifang, Shandong Province in east China.
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