The unmanned helicopter, called the "air robot", became the focus of attention at the China Beijing International High-tech Expo opened Thursday.

The two helicopters, jointly imported and developed by Beijing BVE Technology Co., Ltd. and the Ministry of Information Industry, have important values in scientific-research, film and TV shot and military affairs.

On the basis of the introduced platform of Yamaha RMAX unmanned helicopter, Chinese scientists succeeded in controlling the helicopter in flight over human's visual range and ensuring its safe return.

The 98-kg (216-lb) "air robot", 3.6 meters (11.8 feet) long, 0.7 meter (2.3 feet) wide and less than 1.3 meters (4.3 feet) high, can fly 140 km/h (37 mi/h) at an altitude of 1 to 2 km (3281 feet to 6562 feet), and return after a 10-km (6.2-mi) flight.

Meanwhile, a series of unmanned aircraft pictures were also displayed at the expo. The unmanned aircrafts, developed by Nanjing Research Institute on Simulation Technique in Jiangsu Province, can fly over 10 hours with the automatic driving system.

(People's Daily May 24, 2002)