Designed for both military and civilian use, it has 7-tonne take-off weight and is the world’s heaviest cargo drone in full-scale flight
3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenAlcott Weiin BeijingPublished: 7:29pm, 31 Mar 2026China has executed the maiden flight of the Changying-8, which it says is the world’s heaviest multi-terrain cargo drone with the potential for military applications.
According to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, the drone successfully completed its maiden flight on Tuesday morning at an airport in Zhengzhou in Henan province, central China.
It took off after a brief 280-metre (919-foot) taxi and landed after a 30-minute flight. The test flight validated the CY-8’s intelligent flight control, avionics, power, fuel systems and flight performance, the broadcaster said.
Claiming the CY-8 as the world’s heaviest cargo drone to date, CCTV said the aircraft weighed 3.5 tonnes and could carry 3.5 tonnes of cargo – earning it the nickname “aerial unmanned heavy truck” – for a take-off weight of 7 tonnes.
The drone is 17 metres long and has a wingspan of 25 metres. It features an 18-cubic metre (636-cubic foot) fully enclosed cargo bay with front and rear doors allowing for the efficient loading – in as little as 15 minutes – and unloading of cargo, according to the state broadcaster.
