Xueying 601: Building an Antarctic Air Corridor

On December 17, Xueying 601, also known as Snow Eagle 601, China's first polar fixed-wing plane, carried out aerial surveys, its first scientific research task during the country's 42nd Antarctic expedition.

Xueying 601's air routes, with the Zhongshan Station as the core and covering more than 20 domestic and international expedition stations, have built an air corridor for Antarctica.

China's own Antarctic airfield

It has been 10 years since Xueying 601 officially commenced service in China's polar exploration endeavors. The aircraft has conducted eight Antarctic expedition tasks, operated for more than 1,100 days and flown for over 2,500 hours, with a total voyage distance of 800,000 kilometers, equivalent to circling the Equator 20 times.

During the first couple of years after Xueying 601 was put into operation, it relied on the airports of other countries to conduct flight tasks.

"Building our own Antarctic airfield and ensuring a controllable flight guarantee was the most urgent need of (our) polar aviation at that time," Zhao Duanran, leader of the aviation operation team of China's 42nd Antarctic expedition team, told Science and Technology Daily.

In 2022, China's first sled-style ice runway airport was completed. On March 11, 2023, it was inaugurated and commenced regular summer operations. On May 30, 2024, the airport was granted the four-letter code ZSSW by the International Civil Aviation Organization and named the Zhongshan Ice and Snow Airport.

It has maintained stable operations for over 300 days, with Xueying 601 completing nearly 100 safe takeoffs and landings.

More than cargo delivery

As a fixed-wing aircraft, Xueying 601 is capable of more than quickly transiting personnel and supplies. With precision equipment, it has become an ideal air platform for transportation and scientific research at the South Pole, providing key technological support for such missions.

In January 2016, it flew over the Kunlun Station, China's southernmost research station in Antarctica, at a low altitude, and obtained valuable flight data on takeoff and landing under very high-altitude plateau conditions.

One year later, it successfully took off and landed at the station, located at an altitude of more than 4,000 meters, setting a new record for high-altitude takeoff and landing by this aircraft model. In 2023, it completed the first takeoff and landing in the Grove Mountains region in East Antarctica, opening a new channel for emergency rescue.

"We have acquired scientific observation data spanning more than 200,000 km through Xueying 601 for the past 10 years," said Cui Xiangbin, head of the Zhongshan Station for the 42nd Antarctic expedition. The data collection scope covers key regions in East Antarctica, including Princess Elizabeth Land, where the Grove Mountains are located.

Thanks to the precision scientific instruments on the plane, a series of research achievements have been made — including high-precision subglacial topography mapping of Princess Elizabeth Land, and inversion of subglacial heat flux and geological structures in the region.

These findings provide crucial support for scientists studying subglacial environments, subglacial geological structures, the impact of ice sheet stability on sea level change, and for conducting numerical simulations of past and future ice sheet dynamics.

Contributions to international cooperation

Xueying 601 is also key in the scientific research cooperation between China and other countries in sharing aviation scientific observation capability in key areas of the South Pole.

China is a key initiator and participant of the RINGS Action Group proposed by the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and has cooperated with countries including Norway and Australia in observing the ice sheet margins of Enderby Land, a coastal region in East Antarctica.

Since the 41st Antarctic expedition started in 2024, China has sent navigation notices to multiple countries, assumed airspace management responsibilities for the Zhongshan Station, and subsequently piloted operational rules, contributing a technology-driven Chinese solution to Antarctic aviation safety.

Xueying 601's 10-year flight path epitomizes China's independent innovation in polar science and technology alongside international cooperation.

In the future, this "Polar Eagle" will continue to use science and technology as its wings and cooperation as the bridge, contributing China's scientific strength to global polar scientific research and its peaceful utilization.

Source: Science and Technology Daily