China online retailer, JD.com Inc., says it plans to develop drone aircraft capable of carrying a ton or more for long-distance deliveries.

In reporting the news, the Associated Press says the company plans to test the drones on a network it is developing to cover the northern Chinese province of Shaanxi. It said the drone will carry consumer goods to remote areas and farm produce to cities.

1-ton lifting capacity tested for drone delivery.Bejing-based JD.com made its first deliveries to customers using smaller drones in November, AP says. The company operates its own nationwide network of delivery stations manned by 65,000 employees. The company says it has 235 million regular customers.

A 1 ton payload is heavier than what most drones available now can carry, AP says, although some can carry hundreds of kilograms and major drone makers are working on devices able to carry more.

China is home to one of the world’s biggest manufacturer of civilian drones, DJI, in the southern city of Shenzhen.

JD.com said its planned drone delivery network in Shaanxi would cover a 300-kilometer (200-mile) radius and have drone air bases throughout the province.

The company said it will set up an R&D campus with the Xi’an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base to develop and manufacture drones.