Large UVA: the backbone of low altitude economy, leading the new future of agricultural technology

October 16th is World Food Day, and this week is also Food Security Awareness Week. This special day once again focuses global attention on food security and agricultural development. Over the years, China's food security situation has continued to improve, with consecutive bumper harvests in grain production, abundant inventory, and sufficient market supply. The total grain output has remained stable at over 1.3 trillion catties for nine consecutive years, far exceeding the international food security warning line. There are many provinces with an annual output value of over 100 billion yuan in the grain industry, demonstrating strong grain production strength.

Consolidating the foundation of a great country's granary, technological equipment is undoubtedly the key support. Currently, the contribution rate of agricultural scientific and technological progress in China has reached 63.2%, and the overall scientific and technological innovation has entered the forefront of the world. In this year's autumn harvest and planting, there is a strong emphasis on technology, and unmanned aerial vehicles for crop protection have become a new trend in promoting agriculture through technology. With the quiet rise of low altitude economy, large unmanned aerial vehicles are gradually becoming a key technological support for agricultural harvest, and their value is increasingly prominent in the development of agricultural technology.
According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the registered number of crop protection drones in China will exceed 300000 in 2023, with the majority of them operating in the civil aviation exchange system. However, facing the vast 1.918 billion acres of arable land in China, this quantity is still insufficient. At present, multi rotor models account for 90% of agricultural and forestry crop protection drones in China, and the number accounts for more than 10% of all drones. In terms of large crop protection aircraft, China's agricultural spraying operations mainly rely on imported manned aircraft, and there is an urgent demand for domestically produced large unmanned aerial vehicles. Compared to small and medium-sized drones, large drones have advantages such as larger cargo hold capacity and longer operation time, making them more efficient and cost-effective in centralized and standardized agricultural operations. At present, China's low altitude economy mainly focuses on the field of rotary wing unmanned aerial vehicles, while there are only a few large-scale unmanned aerial vehicles that can be mass-produced and commercially operated. This blue ocean market urgently needs attention and exploration.

In August 2024, the CCTV News and Chaowen Tianxia columns of CCTV reported the innovative application and outstanding performance of the Hongyan (HY100) large-scale UAV system of Tianyu Hangtong Technology Co., Ltd. in the field of agricultural and forestry plant protection. It can charge 1000 kilograms of propellant at once, equivalent to the payload of 25 multi rotor drones. It can continuously complete stable flights at ultra-low altitudes of 4-6 meters, with the ability to autonomously control flights beyond visual range and operate around the clock. It truly achieves non-stop operations from sunrise to sunset, especially suitable for efficient and large-scale operations in centralized and standardized farmland.

The application of large unmanned aerial vehicles in modern agriculture is of great significance. It reduces the labor intensity of farmers, improves production efficiency, promotes agricultural intelligence and precision, and plays an important role in ensuring national food security and ecological security, and promoting sustainable agricultural development. With the continuous advancement of technology and policy support, large-scale drones will further integrate agricultural production, create greater economic value for agriculture, and build a more efficient modern agricultural system.