BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese private company has begun working with China Post on a trial operation that deploys drones to transport cargo, according to Wednesday's China Daily.
UVS Intelligence System, a privately owned drone-maker in Shanghai, said that a U650 cargo drone carried out China's first drone-based postal delivery on May 29, transporting about 200 kilograms of goods from Shanghai's Jinshan district to Shengsi Island of Zhejiang Province's Zhoushan Archipelago in a 52-minute flight.
China Post confirmed that the operation was the first drone-based, cross-sea postal delivery in China, the newspaper said.
According to UVS, the drone flew 110 kilometers at an average speed of 135 kilometers per hour during the operation.
The 5.85-meter-long unmanned seaplane, made of carbon fiber, is able to stay aloft 15 hours with a cruising speed of 180 km/h and a flight range of 2,000 km. It is capable of takeoffs and landings from short unpaved airstrips, grasslands or water.
