In the bright April,the rice fields in the Tianfu granary were lush green,and the humming of propellers came.The plant protection UAV,like an elf,swept through the clear sky,sprinkling pesticides onto the earth.In Guihua Town,Pengzhou,unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs)like delivery staff shuttle back and forth in the air,achieving a fastest delivery time of 5 minutes on 30 routes.After nightfall,hundreds of UAVs took off by the Dong'an Lake,bringing a splendid"cyber fireworks"performance to the public audience……

In recent years,"low altitude economy"has become a popular term for China's development.In the 2024 government work report,it was mentioned that we should actively cultivate emerging and future industries,and actively create new growth engines such as biological manufacturing,commercial aerospace,and low altitude economy.

According to data from CCID,the scale of China's low altitude economy reached 505.95 billion yuan in 2023,with a year-on-year growth rate of 33.8%.Optimistically,it is expected to reach 1064.46 billion yuan by 2026,corresponding to a compound annual growth rate of 28.1%.How does Chengdu,as a highland for the development of the national UAV industry and an important aviation industry center,layout its urban sky and seize opportunities for future industrial development?

In the 2024 government work report of Chengdu,it was pointed out that the strategy of building a strong city through manufacturing should be implemented,and Industrial City and Manufacturing Strong City should be firmly regarded as the"number one project"for the development of the real economy.The pilot results of low altitude airspace collaborative management reform should be made good use of,and the advantages of industries such as general aviation and industrial UAVs should be activated to create a low altitude economic center in the western region.

In recent days,the low altitude economic sector has maintained strong growth in the A-share market,which indirectly reflects the market's confidence in the development of the low altitude economy.Among them,the UAV and aircraft markets are the main driving forces for the development of low altitude economy at present.

When it comes to UAVs,many consumers may immediately think of Shenzhen DJI's consumer grade UAVs,but in the field of large UAVs,Chengdu has already achieved the first place in the country.

The listed company AVIC(Chengdu)UAV Systems Co.,Ltd.is a leading enterprise in the industry,and its star product,the Yilong UAV,has performed very well in emergency rescue work in recent years.

Image source:Department of Emergency Management of Sichuan Province

In March of this year,a forest fire broke out in Baizi Village,Gala Town,Yajiang County,Garze Prefecture,Sichuan Province.The fire was located on a steep terrain and spread rapidly,making rescue efforts increasingly difficult.During the disaster relief period,the Yilong-2 UAV urgently went to provide support,providing 14 hours of communication signal to the affected area,and building a stable communication network between rescue officers and soldiers to accurately and timely convey mission instructions.At the same time,multi-spectral and all-round reconnaissance was carried out on the terrain of the disaster area,and real-time environmental data and high-definition images of the disaster site were transmitted to the emergency rescue command center,providing key information support for targeted rescue and firefighting operations.

According to data,the"Yilong"family of UAVs can achieve full coverage of altitude and speed ranges below 12000 kilometers,125 to 590 kilometers per hour,with a maximum endurance of 45 hours and a maximum range of 10000 kilometers.It ranks first in exports among similar products in the country.

Image source:Sichuan Manufacturing

At the same time,Sichuan Tengden Sci-tech Innovation Co.,Ltd.in Jinniu District,as a leading enterprise in the Chengdu UAV industry,not only gradually strengthens its research and development capabilities in the field of large-scale UAVs,but also provides full chain services from landing,qualification,testing to orders for supporting enterprises,accelerating the gathering of upstream and downstream industrial chain enterprises,and strengthening and supplementing the chain.Zongheng Group,the"number one UAV company"on the Science and Technology Innovation Board in Chengdu High tech Zone,has a full range of industrial UAV products and can provide nearly a hundred industry application solutions such as smart rivers and lakes,smart transportation,and smart emergency.It has served over 1500 customers in 40 countries around the world.

Image source:Sichuan Manufacturing

It is reported that as early as 2022,9 complete machine manufacturing enterprises in Chengdu,including AVIC UAVs,Zongheng Group,and TENGDEN,achieved operating revenue of 4.1 billion yuan.Data shows that the industrial UAV industry chain in Chengdu has gathered more than 110 upstream and downstream enterprises,achieving full coverage of products from 10 kilograms to tonnage levels.The industrial UAV industry maintains an average annual growth rate of over 20%,and its comprehensive competitiveness ranks among the top three in the country.It has formed an industrial system that integrates research and development design,total assembly manufacturing,operation services,and flight support.

Image source:Chengdu UAV Industry Association

In addition to industrial UAV,Chengdu's eVTOL(Electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing Vehicle)also has industry-leading advantages in manned services.Sichuan AEROFUGIA Technology Development Co.,Ltd.is the first"manned driving and manned"eVTOL in China to receive airworthiness approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China.Its independently developed eVTOL product AE200 can fly at low altitudes of 300 to 1000 meters,at a speed of about 250 kilometers per hour for 200 to 300 kilometers.

The research and development,production,and manufacturing of advanced equipment are only one aspect.Currently,the development of the"low altitude economy"still faces pain points such as insufficient public infrastructure construction,scarcity of commercial application scenarios and public service scenarios,lack of efficient and efficient industrial management systems,and the urgent need to open up urban low altitude airspace resources.

At the 2023 Chengdu UAV Low Altitude Economy Industry Development Roundtable Conference,Li Yongguang,President of Chengdu UAV Industry Association and former General Manager of AVIC UAV,introduced that the development of UAV low altitude economy is fundamentally based on scenarios,airspace is key,technology is support,laws,regulations and standards are guarantees,and safety is the bottom line.Chengdu Low-Altitude Economic and Industry Development Report released at the conference provided suggestions on how to implement the drone low altitude economy plan in Chengdu.

Image source:Chengdu UAV Industry Association

In recent years,Chengdu has faced the pain points of industry development and actively constructed a complete industrial ecosystem,providing the"Chengdu Plan"and"Chengdu Model"for the development of low altitude economy.

Image source:Pengzhou Release

On the grassland in Guihua Town,Pengzhou,Chengdu,UAVs from different enterprises with different design ideas and models are neatly arranged,quietly waiting for the test flight of testers.These newly born"chicks"from the factory are about to undergo a major test of their abilities in the sky of Pengzhou,and only drones that successfully pass the test can be delivered to customers.

In 2022,the civil unmanned aerial vehicle test base in Pengzhou City was selected for the second batch of civil unmanned aerial vehicle test base construction approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China,helping Chengdu obtain the national license for unmanned aerial vehicle test bases.Nowadays,this public airspace,which is 1200 meters high and has a radius of 5 kilometers,has become a"novice village"for a large number of UAVs in the country,helping UAV technology overcome a series of testing levels and continuously promoting the exploration of other commercial scenarios in the low altitude economy.

Cao Kun,Chief Engineer of Office of Sichuan Low Altitude Space Collaborative Management Committee,once stated that this is an exploration of mature low altitude economic application scenarios through UAV flight tests.Only by ensuring safety can we break through the core pain points and development bottlenecks of the current industry and seize the future market.

Image source:Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economic and Information Technology release

It is understood that the Pengzhou base has a total of 8 test flight sites,forming 14 testing scenarios,with the number of sites and scenarios ranking first among the 20 national level test bases in China.In terms of market expansion,Pengzhou has also built the first batch of"UAV driving schools"in the southwest region;built the country's first"UAV 4S store";launched UAV delivery routes,etc……

Image source:Chengdu Invest

In April of this year,the 2024 Western Low Altitude Economic Industry Ecological Conference was held at the Pengzhou Sky Eye Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Test Base in Chengdu.Antwork Technology and Jinrong Group have signed a contract with Chengdu.Antwork Technology's Sichuan Delivery Bar Logistics Headquarters Project and Jinrong Group's Western Metal 3D Printing R&D and Production Manufacturing Headquarters Base Project have settled in Pengzhou,Chengdu,injecting fresh blood into Chengdu's"low altitude economy"once again.The first national shared open platform for serving enterprise airworthiness certification,Jianjiang Laboratory,built by the Pengzhou Base,has officially launched.It integrates the scientific research capabilities of many well-known domestic institutions,such as the Second Research Institute of CAAC,University of Electronic Science and Technology of China,Xihua University,NO.10 and NO.29 Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Goup Corp.,and Moore's Laboratory,and brings together multiple expert talents such as Zhang Xuejun,the head of the innovation team in key fields of the Ministry of Science and Technology.It focuses on the reliability verification of drones,enterprise airworthiness certification,and achievement transfer and transformation,once again helping enterprises accelerate the commercialization of their products.

On April 18th,the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China announced at a press conference that in 2023,China delivered over 3.17 million civilian UAVs,and the output value of the general aviation manufacturing industry exceeded 51 billion yuan,a year-on-year increase of nearly 60%.At the same time as the rapid development of low altitude economic production capacity,how to coordinate and manage effectively is the key to ensuring healthy growth.

One of the key tasks in the drone industry and among drone consumers is to establish good standards and establish good traffic regulations.

In October 2023,the Chengdu Municipal Bureau of Economic and Information Technology and Chengdu Finance ointly issued the Special Policy for Promoting the High Quality Development of Industrial UAV Industry in Chengdu,proposing to encourage enterprises and institutions engaged in the drone industry to participate in the formulation(revision)of technical standards in the process of supplementing,strengthening and extending chain.Enterprises and institutions that participate in the formulation(revision)of standards in different ranges,such as international,domestic,and industry,will be rewarded with different amounts of funds.A single enterprise or institution can receive a maximum reward of 1 million yuan annually.

Due to the widespread application of UAV in industries,entertainment,agriculture,logistics,and other fields,there are significant differences in aircraft types and specifications,and there are indeed gaps in laws and regulations.However,relevant management regulations have already begun to be implemented.

In January of this year,the State Council and the Central Military Commission officially implemented the Provisional Regulations on the Management of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Flight.According to regulations,the owner of civil unmanned aerial vehicles shall register their real name in accordance with the law.This regulation divides UAV into performance indicators such as empty weight,takeoff weight,and flight speed,and formulates flight activity standards for different types of UAV.Those who violate regulations by conducting flight activities without real name registration shall be ordered by the public security organs to make corrections and may be fined up to 200 yuan;If the circumstances are serious,a fine of not less than 2000 yuan but not more than 20000 yuan shall be imposed.

Image source:Chengdu Release

In March,the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China,together with multiple departments,issued the Implementation Plan for Innovative Application of General Aviation Equipment(2024-2030),which also focuses on improving the regulatory standard system and establishing a safety verification system.Require coordination and promotion to improve the national aircraft management system,and clarify regulatory requirements for application scenarios.Build a quality assurance and safety verification system for UAVs,strengthen the safety and reliability assessment and verification for industrial UAV and eVTOL,and promote the formation of a number of industrial standards that support airworthiness certification.

In January of this year,Chengdu issued the Policy Measures for Forward looking Cultivation of Future Industries,proposing to focus on cultivating six major tracks:cutting-edge biology,advanced energy,future transportation,digital intelligence,ubiquitous networks,and new materials.Among them,industrial UAV are the direction of recent efforts in the future transportation track.It is believe that in the future,Chengdu will focus on building a strong manufacturing and industrial city,empowering a new track of low altitude economy.It will continue to optimize the layout of the industrial drone industry chain in the high-tech zone,collaborate with drone enterprises in Qingyang District,Jinniu District and other areas for development,strengthen the functions of Pengzhou Aviation Test Base,build a future industrial landscape with a complete ecosystem,concentrated production factors,rich application scenarios,and complete industry standards,and achieve the grand vision of building China's"first industrial UAV city".(Du Can, Zhang Xiatong)