China-made AS700 airship makes longest journey in test flight

A prototype of the AS700 multipurpose civilian airship completed its longest journey to date on Tuesday and Wednesday, flying through three provincial-level regions, according to the State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), the nation's leading aircraft maker.

The prototype took off from Jingmen Zhanghe Airport in Hubei province at 6:01 a.m. on Tuesday and made brief stopovers at two civilian airports in Hunan province for maintenance and crew rest. It then arrived at its destination, an airship service site in Guilin, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, at 12:44 p.m. on Wednesday. AVIC stated in a news release that the airship flew nearly 1,000 kilometers during the test.

This marked the longest flight—both in terms of distance and duration—ever completed by any domestically built manned airship in China, the company said.

During the trans-provincial test flight, which involved nearly 13 hours of flying time, two pilots operated the airship at altitudes ranging from 500 meters to 1,990 meters, with speeds between 60 and 80 kilometers per hour, according to AVIC.

The operation aimed to test the AS700 model's capability and performance in long-duration, long-distance flights, and to assess the skills of the pilots and ground support crew.

Designed and built by the Special Aircraft Research Institute, an AVIC subsidiary in Jingmen, the AS700's research and development began in August 2018, primarily to meet the demand for sightseeing air tours.

Propelled by piston engines, the airship has a maximum takeoff weight of 4.15 metric tons and a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. It can carry one pilot and nine tourists and is capable of flying 700 kilometers and staying in the air for up to 10 hours.

There are three prototypes: the first was built as an unmanned platform for technology demonstration and has completed all its assigned test flights; the second and third are crewed and are being used for test flights as part of the certification process.

After intensive test flights, the AS700 received its type certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in December, becoming the first manned airship in the country to be domestically certified.

A type certificate is an approval document issued by the CAAC after a set of rigorous test procedures, and it is one of the most important documents any civilian aircraft must obtain to ensure its design and performance meet regulatory standards.

In addition to its potential for tourism, the AS700 is also suitable for a wide range of civilian operations such as mineral prospecting, marine surveillance, police patrol, cargo transport, and emergency rescue, according to its designers.

Deliveries are expected to begin before the end of this year, according to Du Wei, project manager for the AS700.