Swedish firm sells UAVs to Chinese coast guard
Staff Reporter
2014-04-20
The APID 60 drone. (Internet photo)
Swedish firm CybAero recently sold a number of its APID 60 helicopter UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to the Chinese coast guard, which plans to use the unmanned aerial vehicle aboard customs vessels to combat smuggling, reports the Washington-based Strategy Page on Apr. 18.
Designed as a 180-kilogram unmanned helicopter, the APID 60 is capable of carrying a 75-kilogram payload for up to six hours per sortie. It has a max speed of 150 kilometers per hour, and a max altitude of 3,000 meters. The APID 60 can also be operated up to 200 kilometers from the control station on a ship or land, and costs more than 75% less than a manned helicopter to operate, the report said, adding that it is just as effective for reconnaissance.
China has designed its own helicopter UAVs such as the Z-5, according to the report, but the quality and performance of these drones cannot match the APID 60. The Z-5 designed in 2011 is a 437-kilogram drone that can only carry a payload of up to 100-kilograms for three hours. In addition, the Z-5 can only be operated 100 kilometers away from a control station.
Unlike most helicopter UAVs, the APID 60 was built from an original design instead of taking an existing small-size helicopter and turning it into a drone. The APID 60 can be seen as an upgrade version of the APID 55, which was designed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Strategy Page said.
The UAE continues to manufacture the APID 55 under license and exports it to other nations for coast patrol missions.
