AutoFlight said it coordinated five electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft at its Bailian Lake Flight Test Base in Kunshan, China, during demonstrations Saturday, Oct. 31, and Sunday, Nov. 1. The company sees multi-aircraft coordination as groundwork for future low-altitude transport services.
The lineup included one V5000 Matrix in the five-ton class and four aircraft in the two-ton class. The group drew on three designs: AutoFlight's cargo V2000CG CarryAll, firefighting V2000CGF CarryAll and V5000 Matrix. AutoFlight did not specify how the four smaller aircraft were divided between the two V2000 models.
AutoFlight reported that the aircraft flew autonomously for 47 minutes without manual intervention. The lead V5000 covered more than 133 km, the company said. It also reported that on Nov. 1, the aircraft maintained stable flight and horizontal and vertical separation in strong winds.
The company called the demonstration a world first, a designation that remains unverified. Aviation International News reported that the formation flight was repeated on Nov. 1; AutoFlight’s announcement confirms demonstrations on both dates but does not say whether the same flight took place twice.
The test followed a three-aircraft formation demonstration AutoFlight reported in May, involving one V5000 Matrix and two V2000-series aircraft. The company said that exercise tested communication links, route planning, coordination and safety controls. AutoFlight says future low-altitude services could connect long-haul, regional and last-mile routes.
