China’s ‘homegrown’ TP1000 large cargo UAV flies with payload exceeding one tonne – but looks somewhat familiar
March 28, 2025
The TP1000 large unmanned cargo aircraft, completed its 26 minute maiden flight on Saturday 15 March 2025 at Laixi Dianbu Airport in Qingdao, East China’s Shandong Province, with a payload exceeding one tonne.
But the aircraft’s appearance immediately led many observers to conclude that it was based on a converted Britten Norman Islander airframe, or was a crude copy of the iconic British aircraft. We reached out to our friends at Britten Norman, who said that: “Britten-Norman is aware of a UAV currently undergoing testing that bears a striking resemblance to our BN2T Islander aircraft, including unique design elements specific to our product. The Islander is a globally renowned iconic airframe and this UAV does not have our endorsement. We have already developed and produced our own cargo variant and we are actively exploring autonomous capabilities. The situation raises concerns regarding potential misuse of our intellectual property, which we are investigating to determine if any rights have been violated and whether further action is required to protect the Islander’s iconic design.”
The aircraft is scheduled to begin certification test flights by the end of 2025, and is expected to receive a Type Certificate from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) in 2026. Yitong say that the TP1000 has already received 30 orders from a range of operators, including Asian Express Aviation and ZTO Express.
Weighing 3.3 tonnes, the TP1000 is claimed to have a payload capacity of up to 1,000 kilograms in its 7 m3 cargo bay and an extended operational range of 1,000 kilometers. The aircraft is claimed to support intelligent airdrops and facilitates fast loading and unloading of standard cargo pallets. The UAV is said to seamlessly integrate with land transport and logistics systems.
The aircraft is said to be capable of undergoing a quick change to support other roles, including ocean monitoring, scientific research, resource development, and regional infrastructure projects, according to the Yitong UAV System Company’s general manager, Jin Ge.
The company says that it has expanded its product portfolio to include two primary unmanned aircraft families – the fixed-wing TP and the tilt-rotor composite wing TR. The TP500 (which has a 500 km range and a payload capacity of 500 kilograms) completed early test flights in February 2025, and is now undergoing certification, The TR100 has a payload capacity of 150 kilograms and is undergoing testing.
Yi-Tong has established a 4,000-square-metre production facility in the Yantai Huang-Bohai New Area, which is has emerging as a national-level hub for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research, development, and manufacturing. The company has reportedly started the construction of a UAV industrial park over 20,000 square metres, and hopes to achieve an annual production rate of 100 large UAVs by the end of 2025.
