The W5000, the largest cargo drone, has successfully completed trials in China
A Chinese drone promises to reduce the cost of air freight by 40 per cent.
by
Maxim Krus
-15/11/2026
Air White Whale’s W5000 cargo drone during flight tests in China.
On 14 November, the Chinese company Air White Whale successfully conducted flight tests of the W5000, the world’s largest unmanned cargo aircraft in terms of its stated payload capacity. The aircraft is capable of carrying up to five tonnes of cargo over a distance of up to 2,600 kilometres, operating without a pilot on board and significantly reducing air freight costs.
Briefly about the main points
- The W5000 unmanned aircraft has successfully completed a 30-minute test flight in China.
- The maximum payload is five tonnes, and the flight range is up to 2,600 kilometres.
- A single ground crew will be able to monitor up to seven aircraft at the same time.
- Commercial operations of the cargo drone are scheduled to begin at the end of 2027.
How the W5000 tests went
The test flight took place at an airfield near the city of Ordos in Inner Mongolia. The aircraft left the runway after a take-off run of approximately 600 metres and climbed to an altitude of 1,000 metres above the airfield.
Within 30 minutes
W5000 It carried out a climb, level flight, turns, descent and landing. Engineers checked the stability of the controls, the performance of the engines, the on-board electronics and the ground-based control systems.
Unlike heavy transport aircraft, such as
An-124 «Ruslan», the Chinese drone is primarily designed for regular regional freight transport.
Technical specifications of the W5000
The aircraft is fitted with two Chinese-made turboprop engines. Carbon composite materials are used extensively in the fuselage design, which helps to reduce the aircraft’s weight.
Key features of the W5000:
- Maximum take-off weight — 10.8 tonnes.
- Load capacity — 5 tonnes.
- Flight range — up to 2,600 km.
- Maximum cruising speed — 526 km/h.
- Wingspan — 22.7 metres.
- The fuselage is 22.89 metres long.
- The cargo compartment has a volume of over 65 m³.
Freight transport without pilots on board
The W5000 uses an autonomous control system supervised by ground-based operators. According to the developer’s calculations, a single crew will be able to control six or seven such aircraft simultaneously.
The absence of a cockpit and the equipment required to operate it helps to reduce the aircraft’s weight and operating costs. The company estimates that the cost of transporting one tonne of cargo per kilometre could be reduced by at least 40 per cent compared with traditional aircraft of a similar class.
The W5000 is being developed for inter-regional logistics, the delivery of urgent cargo, medicines and humanitarian aid. The company has already received preliminary orders for 835 aircraft, and commercial operations are expected to commence in late 2027 following the completion of certification.
China has tested the W5000 cargo drone, which is capable of carrying up to 5 tonnes of cargo over a distance of 2,600 km.
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