75% cost-cut: China unveils world’s first fixed-wing drone made of bamboo fibre
South China Morning Post
by Holly ChikMarch 4, 2026
Chinese researchers said they have developed a drone with wings made from bamboo, making it 20 per cent lighter and considerably cheaper than a carbon fibre device, according to state news agency Xinhua.
The bamboo-based unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which completed its maiden flight in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin last month, costs about a quarter of the price of carbon fibre cloth, it said.
The savings meant that the overall structural costs of a drone made with the new material could...
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Originally published on South China Morning Post on 3/4/2026