China: three-engine variant of Twin-tailed Scorpion UAV by Tengden company made its first flight.

The new HALE drone with 3 piston engines from the Tengden start-up successfully made its first flight independently, at Zigong airport, on January 16.

Three-engined variant of the TW328/TB001 (Picture source: Twitter)

The drone is a three-engine variant of Tengden's twin-engine TB Twin-tailed Scorpion. Its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) increased from 2800 to 3200 kg.

Reports say that the new platform - which has an overall wingspan of 20 m and is 11 m long -  has an endurance of 35 hours,  a flight ceiling of 9,500 m, a maximum climb rate of 10 m/s, and a top speed of more than 300 km/h.  It is said to be very adaptable and can be deployed in airfields in plateau areas.

Rear view of the UAV (Picture source: Twitter)