Is China Ready for Drones?

Once upon a time, any conversation had about drones was generally confined to the use of unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAV) by the US military for air strikes in Afghanistan, yet today the discussion is more inclined to mention another aspect: are drones a boon for the future or a looming menace? There is an abundance of evidence to support both sides of the debate. The most common non-military use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) today involves scenes shot by drones with a camera attached that feature a bird’s-eye view of the landscape below, the cheap and easy-to-use UAVs popular with TV producers and photography enthusiasts alike. If drone usage was to be the sole domain of videographers and the ilk, then the problem would not be so urgent, but UVAs have been earmarked for a number of burgeoning industries, none more so than logistics and delivery services. Drone delivery is a major new opportunity that many retailers and governmental agencies are exploring. Walmart and Amazon are both experimenting with using drones for delivery services but are struggling to receive exemptions from the air-traffic rules. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the currently proposed rules would limit flights to daylight hours at low altitudes and within an operator’s visual line of site. And the restrictions for private use are about […]