Chinese 2-ton heavy-duty EVTOL autonomous supply of offshore drilling platform
The Chinese heavy-duty EVTOL V2000CG transports loads of up to 400 kg by air. The system can thus supply offshore platforms.
The heavy-duty EVTOL V2000CG lands on an offshore drilling platform.
(Image: Screenshot/Autoflight)
The Chinese company Autoflight has tested the first fully electric heavy-duty VTOL (Vertical Take-off and Landing) that can transport a load of 400 kg. The unmanned aircraft, which weighs around 2 tons when fully loaded, can autonomously supply offshore facilities. The flight time is shorter and the costs are lower than with conventional supply options.
Offshore drilling rigs in China are often supplied via ship connections. However, the journey times are very long. Journey times of more than ten hours are not uncommon. Supplying from the air with helicopters is expensive due to the fuel, maintenance, and charter costs and is therefore not a real alternative. The V2000CG VTOL heavy-duty drone from Autoflight, which weighs around 1.6 tons (empty weight), is now set to step into the breach.
Shorter supply times
The heavy-duty eVTOL reduces a supply trip by ship lasting around ten hours to a supply flight lasting around one hour. The aircraft is powered by 13 motors with just as many rotors. Ten of them lift the eVTOL, while three others provide propulsion in energy-saving horizontal flight. The electric drive then ensures a top speed of up to 200 km/h. The range is 250 km.
The eVTOL is equipped with autonomous flight technology, artificial intelligence (AI), sensors, and collision avoidance technology, as well as redundant flight control systems and 4G and 5G communication. A ground radar-supported system is also on board to enable the eVTOL to take off and land remotely.
The V2000CG completed its first supply flight on Sunday. The eVTOL transported food and emergency equipment on a 150 km flight from Shenzen, China, to a drilling platform belonging to the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC). The flight lasted 58 minutes.
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In the future, the drone will be used to transport spare parts in addition to food and medical equipment from Shenzen to the drilling platform. The company has not provided any details on the exact costs. However, CNOOC states that Autoflight's eVOTL promises “lower operating expenses, faster response times, and the ability to land in confined spaces.”
(olb)
