Chinese leading drone makers set to serve police-use UAVs
By Jiang Jie (
People's Daily Online) 13:08, September 11, 2018
(Photo by Jiang Jie/People's Daily Online)
It’s time to test China’s flourishing drone manufacturers and their promotion lines. How reliable are they? Can they really stand strong wind and avoid obstacles?
The fierce market competition among Chinese drone makers has turned into a war of sorts, as more and more Chinese police start to adopt the technology.
“Police-use drones have witnessed huge growth in recent years. In 2015, the number of police-use drones was a mere 500, whereas the number exceeded 5,000 two years later,” announced Sun Yongsheng, director of China Low-Altitude Security Research Center, at a forum during the 8th China UAS Conference & Exhibition in Beijing on Friday.
The number may appear small when compared to the 3 million drones sold in China, where hundreds of companies are churning out the flying machines and some 50,000 people are licensed to operate them.
Jin Wei, deputy secretary general of China UAS Industry Innovation Alliance, also revealed at the forum that China’s drone industry has reached an output value of 23 billion yuan in 2017 and achieved a growth rate of 67%.
This rapid growth provides a sound foundation for police-use drones that can make full use of the nation’s advantage in those hovering cameras, Sun noted.
For example, Chinese drone maker Zerotech, a supplier of police-use drones, presented at the forum its hybrid drones with both fixed wings and multiple rotors, which are faster and more reliable and can fly longer. The hybrid design also guarantees that the drones will not crash in case of power loss, because the fixed-wing design allows them to safely glide.
“The most appropriate height for police-use drones is between 120-300 meters, which makes pure rotor drones inadequate. Given their stealthy way of action up in the air, they could replace police in key patrol areas or for reconnaissance missions in dangerous situations. They could also help with lengthy stakeouts or tracking,” Yang Jianjun, founder and CEO of Chinese drone maker Zerotech, introduced.
With zoom cameras, drones for stakeouts or tracking could also be used to capture the appearance of the target while reducing the risk of compromising the police presence.
Currently, China Low-Altitude Security Research Center has inked a cooperation agreement with the publishing house of People’s Public Security University of China on applied drone courses. It is also coopering with the Ministry of Public Security in offering drone flying training programs, according to Sun.