Chinese aircraft maker AutoFlight says it has flown five electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft in formation, which it describes as a world first. The flights took place on 31 October and 1 November at its Bailian Lake flight test base in Kunshan.
The formation combined one five-tonne V5000 Matrix with four two-tonne aircraft of two other models, the V2000CG CarryAll cargo aircraft and its V2000CGF firefighting version. It flew for 47 minutes, with the lead V5000 covering more than 133 km. AutoFlight says all five flew autonomously without manual intervention and kept safe separation despite strong winds on 1 November.
AutoFlight flew a three-aircraft formation in May 2026. It says the work could support future autonomous operations with larger numbers of eVTOLs, although the flight was a controlled test and does not show that the technology is ready for routine commercial use.
Background
AutoFlight
eVTOL maker
A Chinese maker of electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft with a flight test base at Bailian Lake in Kunshan.
Description from eVTOL Insights
V5000 Matrix
eVTOL aircraft
A five-tonne electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft from AutoFlight.
Description from eVTOL Insights
