China Daily reports that Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC) has designed and built two electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOLs) and is working on their flight tests, according to a senior AVIC expert.
“Wu Ximing, a senior rotorcraft researcher and chief technologist at the State-owned aviation conglomerate, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that testing of the two models — AR-E300 and AR-E3000 — is underway at the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, which built the prototypes for both,” said the news agency.
“Research and development of the AR-E300 started in the spring of 2023 and progressed smoothly. In September that year, we unveiled the model at the 6th China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin. In the summer of 2024, we conducted its first flight test in Jingdezhen,” Wu said.
“Design work for the AR-E3000, a larger configuration, was launched in the second half of 2024, and it also moved fast. The model was first unveiled to the public at the 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, in November. A prototype will have its maiden flight around the end of this year,” he added.
“Engineers at the Jingdezhen institute will continue to carry out more tests involving the two models, optimize some subsystems according to the tests’ results, and work with civil aviation authorities to arrange the timetables for airworthiness certificate applications, according to the senior researcher.”
AVIC plans to obtain the type and production certificates within two to three years, according to the news agency.
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https://www.chinadailyhk.com/hk/article/606635
(Image AVIC’s AR-E300 aircraft at the Airshow China in Zhuhai, south China’s Guangdong Province – photo XINHUA)