China has been accused of stealing a British aircraft design in a fresh row over intellectual property theft by the Communist country, The Telegraph can reveal.
Propaganda websites controlled by the Chinese government said in March that a state-owned company had tested its first “home-grown” cargo drone.
Footage published by the Global Times clearly showed that the alleged “drone” very strongly resembles a British aircraft that has been in production for more than half a century.
The revelation will spark fears that China is mounting a fresh attack on valuable British intellectual property such as confidential design information.
The Conservatives called on the Government to condemn the “shameless theft”.
Specifications on Yi-Tong UAV System Company’s website say that its TP1000 drone has a top speed of 315kph – which is exactly the same as the British-made Britten-Norman Islander.
The alleged Chinese drone’s wingspan is given as 14.9m, compared with 14.93m for the Islander, and an aviation insider said video footage online showed that the “Chinese” aircraft features a window underneath its wing in the exact same place as the Islander.