China's Pilot-Less Helicopter Takes Off From Ship; Military Use Of Vehicle Unclear

China has successfully tested an unmanned helicopter that took off from a ship in the port city of Qingdao on Friday. The helo, named AR-500BJ, made its first test flight in 2020 off a ground base, two years after the project was officially launched.

The AR-500BJ was developed by the helicopter research arm of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), reported South China Morning Post, quoting China's state broadcaster CCTV.

"In this demonstration and operation at sea, the AR-500BJ completed smoothly flight items such as surface take-off and landing, marking a new and important breakthrough in the development of this type of unmanned helicopter," the manufacturer said in a statement on WeChat.

Weighing 500 kg, the vehicle operates on a Chinese-made heavy fuel engine and modified fuel-burning, structural, electric and flight control systems. The helicopter has been designed to fit the small parking area on a ship.

Though the company provided no details of the technology used, there are speculations regarding the military use of unmanned helicopters. However, the South China Morning Post quoted an analyst who said such autonomous helicopters had few defense applications.

"The military use of autonomous helicopters is unclear," said Zhou Chenming, a researcher at the Yuan Wang military science and technology think tank in Beijing. "There’s no clear military use for them, even globally," he told the news outlet.

That said, the manufacturer claims that the helicopter can withstand "complex electromagnetic environments," arising during an armed conflict wherein electromagnetic signals are used by the enemy to hinder communication and operations.

Though the helicopter boasts of fixed-winged drones with greater range and speed, AR-500BJ’s complex structure would make repairs difficult, Zhou thinks.

The U.S. Navy has been using a similar unmanned helicopter, called the RQ-8A Fire Scout, since 2019. Though the unmanned vehicles first flew in 2013, they achieved initial operational capability in 2019. The U.S. has been using the vehicle for intelligence gathering, surveillance and reconnaissance.

As for China, the Aviation Industry Corporation of China undertook the project in 2017 to test how well the AR-500 can adapt to being operated on ships and on the ground, as part of a national key research and development project. According to the South China Morning Post, the test held Friday marked the culmination of the involvement of the helicopter arm.