From flying cars to Space Shuttle, China unveils most advanced tech innovations at Zhuhai Air Show

Image Source : AP/CNS XPENG flying car debuts at Airshow China

Zhuhai: The "Land Aircraft Carrier," the flying car developed by Chinese electric vehicle maker XPENG, completed its first public flight on Tuesday at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, also known as Airshow China. The flying car performed low-altitude linear acceleration, spiral ascent, uniform-speed descent and accurate landing on the first day of the air show, with the whole process on autopilot.

Construction on a pioneering factory for producing flying cars has commenced, with mass production planned to begin in the third quarter of 2025, with an annual capacity of 10,000 units. Deliveries of the flying cars to customers will start in 2026.

VIDEO: XPENG flying car debuts at Airshow China

Cargo space shuttle

Besides developing flying car, China's newly announced space cargo shuttle, the Haolong, has become a highlight of the ongoing Airshow China 2024. It is China's first cargo space shuttle. Its chief designer said that the spacecraft has entered the engineering development phase, and the public can expect to see it soon. The Haolong can receive maintenance similar to an aircraft after landing, so it can conduct another mission. Its reusability means that the full life cycle cost is significantly lowered, its chief designer said.

Features of cargo space shuttle:

The Haolong space cargo shuttle is developed by the Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute under the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
The institute developed several types of Chinese fighter jets, including the J-20, the J-10 and the FC-1, all featuring "long," meaning dragon in Chinese, in their nicknames.
The Haolong features a large wingspan design with high lift-to-drag ratio. It is about 10 meters long and eight meters wide.
This design means that the spacecraft has relatively high manoeuvrability within the atmosphere and that it has more reentry opportunities, according to its chief designer.

China-developed AEF1200 engine makes debut at 15th Airshow China

China's domestically developed large engine AEF1200, along with other star products, made their debut at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. The AEF1200 stands out among the 67 products the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) has brought to the exhibition, and nearly half of the products are making their debut. The powerful engine is designed to support future models of large transport aircraft.

"We can see here our major products for gas turbine engine (military and) civil aircraft, like the AEF1200 which we put in a prominent position. This is China's first model with large bypass ratio and high thrust," said Yang Lufeng, vice general manager of the AECC.

The AECC has also set up general aviation and low-altitude economy exhibition zones at the airshow, showcasing diverse products that accommodate emerging markets and new application scenarios.

"Here we have the AEP100 engine that supports general aviation and low-altitude economy, which we have full intellectual property rights. A dual-engine setup can support up to 10-ton transportation aircraft, while our small turbofan engine can be the power choice for high-altitude drones," Yang said.

The airshow will run till November 17.

(With inputs from agency)

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