A range of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) designed and developed by Ewatt, a Wuhan, Hubei Province-based company of China, made their appearance for the first time in the US at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International’s (AUVSI’s) Unmanned Systems 2013 in Washington DC. These platforms are used for inspecting power lines in China
The company is also building an $18 million UAS industrial park, which will have an initial capability of producing up to 200 aircraft per year, with the possibility of increasing the rate of production to 1,000. The EWG-I Fixed Wing UAS produced by Ewatt can fly up to five hours inspecting power lines and is equipped with a parachute system for landing. Dennis Fetters, former owner of Revolution Helicopters, who joined Ewatt four years ago, believes China will eventually outpace the United States in terms of UAS capabilities, primarily because of the less cumbersome aircraft certification process and other regulations that they are not burdened with. Although none of the Chinese UASs are certified outside of China, the company is seeking distributors from other nations. Once the distributors are identified, China will then push for international certifications.