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tphuang Profile picture
@tphuang
Apr 15 • 6 tweets • 3 min read • Read on X
Scrolly
Unmanned transport is taking off in China & more logistics companies are using them.

Recently, XAC's HH-200 had its maiden flight. It carries 1.5t up to 2360 km long. 2 workers can load cargo w/ ordinary forkLift in just 5 min. Significantly lowers opex.

Recent development 👇
In China's recent low altitude conference, JD's logistics arm signed order/LOI for 160 AR-E800 drone w/ CHAIF, 20 HH-200 w/ XAC & 20 CM-100 w/ SAC.

Using unmanned transport allow 24/7 aerial ops for JD & utilizing remote airport due to minimal requirement for workers. Image
It's not only JD. SAC has already partnered w/ China Post to plan out unmanned aircraft operation in airports & establish demonstrate routes + industry standards.

CHAIG & Shenzhen signed agreement on AR-series drones.

Low altitude flight testing & verification procedures also been worked on.Image
Some of this is led by W5000 developers who signed contract for 60 orders w/ JD a yr ago & recently its 1/4 sized prototype took flight for the 1st time. W5000 has MTOW of 10.8t, 5t payload & 2600t range. It already has 530 orders overall & might start delivery this yr. Image
Image
Other impressive project includes CHAIG's AR-E800 drone which can do the last mile delivery w/ 300 kg payload & 800 kg MTOW
+
SAC's CM-100 which uses dual AEP400 engine & has 10t payload & 24t MTOW. That is same payload as C909 freighter. Traditional freighters not longer needed. Image
Image
All this is part of JD Logistics effort to purchase 3m robots, 1m unmanned delivery vehicles & 100k drones. The unmanned transport can augment delivery vehicles & drones to improve throughput & lower cost.

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More from @tphuang

tphuang Profile picture
May 5
China's progress in AeroEngine/GT as seen from 2 helo family:
Z-18F started off w/ PT6B-67A followed by WZ-6C & WZ-7. Z-10 started off w/ PT6C-76C followed by WZ-9 & WZ-9G.

In both cases, AVIC developed initial variant using P&W engine bc domestic option was not available. After Western option got cut-off, they changed propulsion to a less powerful domestic option.Image
Image
Z-10 had to go thru weight/protection reductions due to using the less powerful WZ-9 engine. After 15 yrs, both Z-10 & Z-18F are finally getting domestic option that are equivalent to the original P&W engine.

1) Go from 0 to 1 for domestic option
2) Catch up w/ domestic option
I use AeroEngine & Gas Turbines interchangeably.
Superalloys used in them are obviously not exactly the same, but you have to be at a certain level on metallurgy front & precision mfg in order to produce blades that are suitable for either applications.
Read 9 tweets
tphuang Profile picture
May 2
Huge news in China today since Bessent actually sanctioned larger entities this time. Hengli is a huge deal. China is entirely willing to fight economic war over this from what I can see.

I will now talk about why Hengli is a big deal & why Trump admin stepped over the line. Image
Image
Hengli in Dalian Changxing Island was built w/ 280B RMB in total investment. Dalian is 1 of China's 7 major petrochem base. 20mt/yr of refining, 1.5mt/yr Ethylene, 17mt of PTA + 5mt/yr of coal chemical.

It had 201B RMB in rev in 2025. Its parent Hengli group made 899B. Image
Image
Dalian Changxing island is the end pt & export terminal for NorthEast provinces entire green hydrogen strategy where green chemical get shipped here for shipping, bunkering & chemical production.

Hengli is a huge deal here, other Chinese companies can't avoid working with them. Image
Image
Read 5 tweets
tphuang Profile picture
Apr 21
What is going on here?
China has 60% of world's silver refining capacity. Why did it go from world's largest Silver Ingot exporter to now a net importer (a large one too)

Why did US got from a major net importer of silver to net exporter? Image
Image
Maybe it's the export license put in at end of last yr to restrict Tungsten, Antimony & Silver.

But so far in 2026, China's import of silver has significantly exploded vs previous yrs. Despite the higher px, where is the demand coming from? Image
Image
Well, looks like we have a case of Comex -> LBMA -> India & China.

So, US is exporting record amount of Gold & Silver in Q1. Notice, no silver import into UK from China at all.

Maybe China is exporting silver product for industrial input but not for bullion mkt? Image
Image
Read 4 tweets
tphuang Profile picture
Apr 19
Optical fiber is another huge constraint in AI DC expansion. YOFC is the mkt leader here, while Corning is the biggest player in US mkt.

in Q1, China's sales here grew 35% YoY w/ oversea orders growing by 55% YoY. Demand is very high to North America & Southeast Asia. Suppliers fully booked until 2027Q1. Px for certain product up 650% YoY.

In fact, supply is not coming online as fast as demand requires. Some major suppliers increasing product in 2026 includes HengTeng & Far East Smarter Energy.

As AI DC go fully optical, demand for optical fiber grew exponentially. Note demand in SEA, where many American & Chinese big tech are building Data centers.
Note that Optical fiber is not the only part of optical supply chain in short supply.

Everything from OCS to FAU to EML chips to SiPo Chips to MT-FA are in demand. Also as described below, equipment makers need to expand. 40% are for coupling, 40% for pkg/assembly, 20% for SMT. Image
Image
The future of optical transceiver Photonic IC is moving away from InP to Thin-film Lithium Niobate. TFLN is ideal for 1.6T+ products over long distance.

As AI DC keeps getting larger & require faster interconnect, TFLN is best choice. Below is China's TFLN supply chain. Image
Read 11 tweets
tphuang Profile picture
Apr 19
This is no longer about Iran, but US global empire. Someone explained to me 4 yrs why US had to enter a Taiwan scenario & same logic applies here.

It CANNOT tolerate losing its hegemony. Handing IRGC control of 20% of global energy supply would do that. Let me explain below:
US already withdrew from Afghanistan & Central Asia post GWOT, which China & Russia time to buildup transport network across Asia & Europe. China is connecting itself via rail to Iran.

Rail & energy link will be built to Iraq & rest of GCC:
We are already seeing Petroyuan emerging out of crude trade. Saudis & rest of GCC will do ever increasingly % of energy trade in RMB & thru CIPS or mBridge if Chinese made weapons & satellite network become the default choice in the region.

Read 11 tweets
tphuang Profile picture
Apr 17
China long realized it had a "Malacca problem". By 2016, 15m bpd of crude passed thru SoM & SCS b4 reaching North Asia.

To mitigate, it built Central Asian, ESPO, POS1 & KyaukPyu pipelines to get crude/NG over land + North Sea Route.

+ its major SCS island build out since 2013 Image
Image
Image
In order to control SCS, PLA had to control major area of SCS that are far from Hainan.

It did 2 things:
1) fully built a huge naval base in Sanya (Southern most city in China) + other mil installation across Hainan.
2) expanded & militarized major reefs in SCS that it held. Image
Image
Note the depth of SCS in left photo & location of Woody Island & the 3 reefs in Spratlys where it had built out major bases.

All these islands are connected now & filled w/ sensors. This solved the major problem of US Submarines getting thru. That's why US protested so much. Image
Image
Read 9 tweets

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