China's 100km/h speed balloon aircraft

AS700, a manned civil balloon aircraft developed by China, successfully performed its first delivery flight on March 30.

The AS700 aircraft took off from Jingmen city, Hubei province, at 6:04 a.m. on March 30 (Hanoi time) and landed smoothly in Jingzhou city, also in Hubei province, after a 106-minute flight. It only stayed for a short time and then returned to Kinh Mon, completing the first handover flight (or ferry flight, a flight to bring the aircraft to the base, deliver it to customers, or move between facilities). .

AS700 manned civil balloon aircraft. (Photo: AVIC)

The AS700 developer is the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) , the country's leading aircraft manufacturer. Using a single capsule design with a single point landing gear, the AS700 is expected to meet the needs of air travel, emergency rescue and urban service provision. The new aircraft model has a maximum takeoff weight of 4,150 kg, a maximum flight range of 700km and a maximum flight time of 10 hours. This vehicle can carry up to 10 people, including a pilot, with a maximum speed of 100km/h.

The flight on March 30 helped verify the performance of the AS700 comprehensively. "The flight completed all assigned tasks, fully tested air-ground communication capabilities, and the ability to take off and land at different locations. The flight also helped test the support capabilities of engineering team ," said Zhou Lei, chief designer of the AS700 manned aircraft project.

With thrust vector control technology, aircraft can take off and land vertically in narrow spaces, significantly saving operating costs because land is currently very expensive, according to Lin Hong, pilot of today's flight. March 30.

The AS700 received certification from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in December 2023, becoming the country's first civil airship aircraft to be independently developed and certified. According to Du Wei, AS700 manned aircraft project manager, they have received about 20 orders, of which the first is expected to be delivered by the end of this year. Du said that the project team's main use is sightseeing at low altitudes and hopes to expand the application to areas such as emergency rescue and urban public services.