AutoFlight Tests Autonomous Five-eVTOL Formation Over 83 Miles in China
The demonstration tested autonomous flight control and separation management across mixed-weight electric vertical takeoff aircraft.
Chinese electric aircraft developer AutoFlight conducted a coordinated formation flight involving five electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft on October 31 and November 1 at its Bailian Lake Flight Test Base in Kunshan, China, according to Interesting Engineering interestingengineering.com
Interesting Engineeringinterestingengineering.comOpen source ↗. The group remained in autonomous formation for 47 minutes without manual intervention, while the lead aircraft traversed more than 133 kilometers (83 miles).
Heterogeneous fleet coordination
The flying group brought together different models and weight classes, comprising one 5-ton-class V5000 Matrix and four 2-ton aircraft from the V2000 series. The smaller airframes included the V2000CG CarryAll cargo aircraft and its V2000CGF firefighting variant. According to the manufacturer, the flight systems maintained safe horizontal and vertical separation and stable parameters despite encountering strong winds during the November 1 test.
Managing such operations requires flight-control systems to continuously coordinate navigation, inter-vehicle communications, and route adjustments between disparate airframe designs and operational weights. This test follows a prior trial involving three aircraft—one V5000 and two V2000 units—aimed at validating baseline communication links and flight synchronization interfaces.
Aircraft platforms and specifications
The 2-ton V2000CG CarryAll cargo platform relies on a lift-and-cruise layout, utilizing independent vertical rotors for hovering and dedicated wings and propulsion systems for forward cruising interestingengineering.com
Interesting Engineeringinterestingengineering.comOpen source ↗. Published specifications for the all-electric logistics model state a maximum takeoff weight of 2,000 kilograms and a payload capacity of 400 kilograms.
The V5000 Matrix operates in the 5-ton category, designed for heavy transport and passenger operations, featuring a maximum takeoff weight of 5,700 kilograms and a maximum cruise speed of 280 km/h. AutoFlight has also developed the V5000CGH, a hybrid-electric cargo variant designed with an operational range of up to 1,500 kilometers.
