Chinese electric aircraft maker AutoFlight recently conducted a coordinated flight with its largest eVTOL aircraft and two smaller models from the same family. The company said this was the first time the heavy V5000 Matrix had flown alongside two V2000-series aircraft in a heterogeneous three-aircraft formation.

The demonstration tested how aircraft of different sizes communicated, planned routes together, and coordinated for safety during flight. Engineers also checked how well the systems managed timing and spacing between aircraft with different flight behaviors.

This test comes as companies around the world work to bring electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft closer to commercial passenger and cargo service.

Giant aircraft leads the formation test

The V5000 Matrix is one of the largest known crewed electric VTOL aircraft being developed. Its wings span 66 feet, and the aircraft is 56 feet long and 11 feet high. The aircraft can take off at a maximum weight of 12,566 pounds, making it much heavier than most other electric air taxi projects now being tested.

AutoFlight has created two versions of the V5000. The passenger model is fully electric and can carry up to 10 passengers in a business-class layout or six passengers in a more premium cabin. According to the company, the aircraft can fly about 155 miles on one charge.

The cargo version, called the V5000CGH, uses a hybrid-electric system for freight. It can carry up to 3,307 pounds of cargo in a 494-cubic-foot bay, which is big enough for two standard AKE air cargo containers. The hybrid cargo aircraft can reach speeds of 174 mph and fly up to 932 miles, as per the company.

During the May 24 test, the V5000 flew with two smaller V2000 aircraft from AutoFlight’s 2-ton class. Engineers watched how the aircraft shared information and coordinated their movements during the flight. The company said the test showed that the shared operating systems between the large V5000 and the smaller V2000 aircraft “operated flawlessly.”

Having aircraft of different sizes makes coordinated flight challenging because larger and smaller aircraft behave differently in the air. Engineers had to carefully plan timing, spacing, and movement to prevent conflicts.

The V5000 uses a complex propulsion system that combines vertical lift with wing-supported cruise flight. Twenty lift motors handle takeoff and landing, then the aircraft switches to forward flight using its wings for better efficiency. AutoFlight said the aircraft has built-in backup systems that allow it to remain controllable even if two lift motors fail simultaneously.

Earlier milestone paved way for certification push

This coordinated flight came after another key milestone earlier this year. In February, the V5000 completed a full transition flight at the Kunshan Civil Drone Test Base in China.

In that test, the aircraft took off vertically, transitioned to wing-supported cruise flight, and then returned to vertical mode for landing. This maneuver is one of the hardest parts of eVTOL development because the aircraft must smoothly change between two very different flight modes.

AutoFlight has now started the official airworthiness certification process for the hybrid freight version of the V5000 with the Civil Aviation Administration of China. The company said its certification team includes engineers who have worked on aircraft like the ARJ21, the C919 passenger jet, and the Diamond DA42.