China’s FP-985 Taurus cargo drone completes a 1,200-kilometre high-altitude test flight across plateau regions, demonstrating performance in extreme terrain and challenging environments.
A new large cargo drone has successfully completed a demanding trans-provincial demonstration flight across China’s plateau regions, underlining its potential for operations in extreme high-altitude and complex terrain environments.
According to China Daily, the prototype FP-985 Taurus fixed-wing unmanned aircraft departed Mainling Airport in Nyingchi city, located in the Xizang autonomous region, earlier this week. The aircraft carried local products including butter tea and yak dairy goods, combining a practical cargo mission with a rigorous performance evaluation.
The route was deliberately selected to challenge the aircraft’s capabilities, taking it across the western foothills of the Himalayan mountains. Mainling Airport is widely regarded by civil aviation professionals as one of China’s most demanding airfields, due to its elevation of approximately 2,900 metres and its location within narrow, cloud-prone river valleys. Operations in such conditions require high levels of control precision and system responsiveness.
The FP-985 Taurus flew for three hours and 44 minutes, covering roughly 800 kilometres and reaching an altitude of 7,500 metres before landing at Kangding Airport. With an elevation exceeding 4,200 metres above sea level, Kangding Airport ranks among the highest airports in the world.
To further validate its high-altitude take-off and performance characteristics, the aircraft then departed Kangding for its final destination, Beichuan Yongchang Airport, where it landed on Wednesday morning. The full mission spanned approximately 1,200 kilometres and was designed specifically to assess the drone’s suitability for sustained operations in plateau environments.
The FP-985 Taurus has been developed by Aerospace Times Feipeng, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. The aircraft is intended for use in geographically challenging regions, including plateaus, islands and other areas where conventional logistics operations are constrained.
The successful completion of the test flight marks a notable milestone in the development of heavy-lift unmanned cargo aircraft capable of operating reliably in some of the world’s most demanding aviation environments.
SOURCE: Aerospace Times Feipeng
IMAGE: A prototype FP-985 Taurus fixed-wing unmanned aircraft completes a transprovincial flight test over plateau regions on Jan 14, 2026. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
