Hazard Analysis of Large Cargo Delivery UAVs Under the Chinese Air Traffic Control System

The mountainous landscape in western China provides cargo delivery unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with a potentially enormous market, and Chinese logistics companies are developing and testing prototypes of such UAVs. Some prototypes, for example, the Feihong-98 by SF-express, may enter service in 2021. Despite the rapid development of heavy UAVs, the construction of associated infrastructures and the formulation of corresponding laws and regulations are disturbingly backlogged: lack of airports in western China limits the operation of the UAVs, and there are only basic regulations regarding operation and maintenance as of 2019. We analyzed China’s current air traffic control (ATC) system, relevant regulations, conditions of general aviation (GA) airports, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) systems, and cellular networks, and found existing problems in the systems, including inadequate airspace classification and workload distribution. We also conducted failure mode and effect analysis (FMEA) over UAVs and control stations to better analyze the problems. Based on the information we obtained and on China’s social and political conditions, we explored solutions that provide a preliminary outlook for a new ATC system targeting heavy delivery UAVs. Such solutions include reassigning air traffic control duties and applying 5G cellular technologies in air traffic surveillance and management.