The TP1000
Posted by Hermit-hawk@reddit | WeirdWings | View on Reddit | 27 comments
The TP1000, which completed its maiden flight on Saturday, has a larger payload and longer range than any previous unmanned transport aircraft in China
Source: China tests huge transport drone capable of airlifting over 1 ton of goods
Jamatace77@reddit
So after a quick bit of research , looks like Britten Norman went into administration in 2025 and was sold off to 4d capital partners who I’m guessing in turns have sold the design of the Islander to Yitong Uav who Google says are state owned by China. Seems a bit of a shame to sell of a British design classic but guess that’s modern economics for you
GiraffeShapedGiraffe@reddit
This is actually wrong, no designs were sold to the Chinese, and IP rights infringement investigations are being carried out, though I really doubt anything will come of it since the Chinese don't really care about things like copyrights. Also just as an aside, the 4d ownership didn't go anywhere and now Beechwood Enterprises owns BN as of October last year. Sources: I work at BN
Hermit-hawk@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the info!
ambientocclusion@reddit
Does the US have anything equivalent?
HikerDave57@reddit
Looking at that I see a possible replacement for the hella loud Cessna 208B’s that FedEx flies in between Phoenix and smaller cities like Yuma.
FruitOrchards@reddit
Probably they're always stealing Chinese designs and doing industrial espionage. They probably have their own version of the J-35 too.
teslawhaleshark@reddit
That's called Missileer
teslawhaleshark@reddit
TDR-2, it's a reusable, optionally manned torpedo carrier drone from 1944-45 but it's only used in unmanned kamikaze roles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_TDR
Japanese salvage workers thought it means America is also kamikaze-ing Japan en masse.
FrumiousBanderznatch@reddit
Pyka Cargo, maybe. Just experimental stuff.
cgo_123456@reddit
The lack of front windows really messes with my sense of scale, I thought it was 2 feet long.
BassKitty305017@reddit
Thought I was in r/RCplanes for a minute
SpartanDoubleZero@reddit
Lmao, 60 year old airframe with autonomous operating equipment.
platdujour@reddit
That's what she said
PunkyB88@reddit
Hey, if it works 😅
Deer-in-Motion@reddit
It looks like a BN-3 Islander.
Supernova865@reddit
Careful, you'll summon the copypasta!
squeaki@reddit
As someone with 3000hrs in P68s, at first glance, I thought 'fk, they finally did it'.
Then I remembered the P68 is a pain in the hole and converting it to an RPAS would be a pipe dream.
Then I noticed the trousers.
superuser726@reddit
Trousers as in?
squeaki@reddit
The trousers is what I've heard engineers refer to the long struts of the rear landing gear, because they look like drainpipe trousers!
propsie@reddit
ok, cool, so a trislander drone is the next logical step if 1T of payload isn't enough.
Un4442nate@reddit
*BN-2
Melech333@reddit
I wonder how far away we are from the civilian aviation world launching cargo drones. I have always thought airlines would always have pilots on board, but maybe the day will come when that will just be passenger service, and cargo transports could be pilotless. The logistical hurdles still seem nightmarish and the payoffs not worth the cost and risk, but I imagine eventually that equation will change.
the_greatest_auk@reddit
Or they have a remote office with pilots who "remote in" to drones as they take off and land, that way you can have a few pilots handling a bunch of flights
Melech333@reddit
I agree it would look something like that. But I imagine that all other civilian aviators would have to have at least some training regarding how to share the skies with routine cargo drone flights too. This aspect may be the hardest barrier to overcome. (I am no expert on this, just some redditor who is wondering out loud, lol.)
One collision between a piloted, passenger plane and a cargo drone would be too many. (But I suppose one day, eventually, such a tragedy will happen, if the skies are full of routine cargo flights, accidents eventually happen.)
the_greatest_auk@reddit
That could be accomplished with set "drone only" routes or altitudes or some kind of a warning receiver on manned planes and have all the drones set with a broadcasting signal to alert pilots when they get within a certain range
BlinginLike3p0@reddit
Are these entirely autonomous drones? What happens if they lose GPS or guidance? What about if they get blown out of their corridor? What happens if they have a mechanical failure and start heading towards a city? There are a lot of worrying questions about this eventuality that I'm very curious how China is handling.
Melech333@reddit
Oh yes that makes sense. Drone only routes... that seems plausible, along with drone-only runways or approaches (or at least during late night hours) where streams of cargo drones land in closer spacing tolerances, too, than planes use today, all separate from passenger traffic.
If we don't crash civilization before then for a hard reset, we could see sights like that in what, 3 to 5 decades? Who knows.