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TD550
The United Aircraft TD500 co-axial uncrewed helicopter has attained type certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), marking the first time China has issued such type certification.
The privately run company said certification began in December 2023 and saw more than 2,600 preliminary test flights, 29 ground compliance tests, and 72 full-scope flight validation tasks on key systems. They included the rotor system, propulsion, avionics, and flight control.
United Aircraft added that the certification is a “major step forward in regulatory frameworks, offering a replicable certification model for similar aircraft worldwide and contributing profoundly to the development of China’s low-altitude economy.”
The TD550 has a maximum takeoff weight of 640 kg (1,410 lb.) at sea level and 550 kg at an altitude of 5,000 m (16,404 ft.). Its maximum payload also ranges from 200 kg at sea level and 120 kg at 5,000 m. United Aircraft indicates the TD550 can carry payload such as communication relay equipment, synthetic aperture radar and “airborne weapons.”
The company also has a larger TD1200 tandem rotor uncrewed helicopter and the R6000 Lanying tilt-rotor uncrewed helicopter under development. The R6000 is expected to conduct its debut flight in “helicopter-mode” in the first half of 2025 and transition to tilt rotor trials in the second half of 2025.
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