China hawks new unmanned plateau helicopter drone; claims AR-500C a 'powerful addition'

As situation along India China border in Eastern Ladakh remains tense, Beijing has come up with a 'plateau-focused' unmanned helicopter to help PLA in "logistics missions and armed reconnaissance". China's first homemade unmanned helicopter focussing on high-altitude areas has successfully completed a maiden flight in a plateau region, its manufacturer said on Monday.

AR-500C can carry a payload of 80 kilograms

AR-500C prototype completed its first plateau flight at Daocheng Yading Airport, which is world's highest civilian airport with an elevation of 4,411m, state-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) said in a statement. It said that this flight broke record for elevation at which a domestically built unmanned helicopter took off and landed.

During 15-minute flight, drone completed a series of tests including climbing, hovering, rotating and or operations maeuvres, before steadily landing, AVIC said. This demonstrated AR-500C's general ability to fly in all types of terrain, company said.

An AVIC statement in May said AR-500C drone will be used in missions including reconnaissance and communication relay, with optional functions including electronic disruption, target indication, fire strikes, cargo delivery, and nuclear radiation and chemical contamination reconnaissance. Sunday's test flight showed that AR-500C can carry a payload of 80 kilograms and fly for more than five hours at an altitude of 4,411m, Chinese Communist Party's mouthpiece Global Times reported.

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'A powerful addition to PLA arsenal'?

mouthpiece quoted an Indian media report which said that in its biggest military logistics operation in decades, Indian Army has rushed weapons, fuel, food and winter supplies to border region to maintain combat readiness through treacherous winter that lasts about four months. It furr said that to maintain logistics support in difficult plateau terrain,  Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) has adopted drones, including using m to deliver food, water and medicine.

AR-500C could be a powerful addition to PLA arsenal, as it is expected to carry heavier payloads, have longer endurance, fly higher and be more versatile than drones currently in service, a military expert who asked t to be identified told Chinese daily on Monday. Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army(PLA) have been locked in a tense standoff in multiple areas along Line of Actual Control(LAC) in eastern Ladakh since early May.

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