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Kawasaki successfully tested unmanned helicopter
Kawasaki Heavy Industries confirmed the ability to carry 200 kg of cargo during a test of the unmanned helicopter demonstrator "K-RACER-X2" conducted at the Fukushima Robot Test Field on December 22, 2023. It has the largest cargo carrying capacity among unmanned aircraft developed in Japan, and will contribute to solving social issues by transporting heavy objects that cannot be carried by regular drones.
While transport capacity in Japan's mountainous regions is decreasing due to factors such as a decline in the working population, demand for transporting goods to mountain huts and maintaining and renewing various public infrastructure is strong, increasing the risk that the supply-demand balance will not be maintained. Masu. Under these circumstances, there is a need for new logistics services to ensure safe logistics networks during dangerous and harsh on-site work or natural disasters, and to meet transportation demands.
In order to solve this problem, our company aims to make logistics unmanned and labor-saving by providing goods transportation services using K-RACER. In the future, in a project commissioned by Ina City, Nagano Prefecture, we will carry out flight demonstrations *1 of transporting goods to mountain huts in a real environment , and we will also conduct verification using an automatic suspension system to ensure that the entire process from unloading to unloading is carried out manually. In addition to building a seamless goods transportation service that does not require intermediaries, we will further vigorously promote the development of mass-produced aircraft.
< K-RACER-X2 basic specifications>
- Main rotor diameter: 7m
- Maximum payload: 200 kg (at 0m altitude ), 100kg (at 3,100m altitude )
- Drive system: Reciprocating engine
- Fuel: High octane gasoline
- Cruising range: 100km or more
- Continuous operation time: 1 hour or more