China’s First Heavy-Lift eVTOL AR-E800 Completes Successful Maiden Flight

Published:December 11, 2025

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China’s AVIC has completed the first flight of the AR-E800, a heavy-lift electric VTOL aircraft designed for commercial logistics and engineering missions. Featuring a modular design and a 300 kg payload, the AR-E800 marks a major step forward for China’s low-altitude logistics capabilities.

China’s Aviation Industry Corporation (AVIC) announced that on December 10, the AR-E800—China’s first heavy-lift electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—completed its maiden flight at Jingdezhen High-Tech Airport. Developed entirely by AVIC, the aircraft features a distinctive, rugged design unlike traditional helicopters or fixed-wing planes, with a combined empty weight and payload capacity of 800 kg.

The AR-E800 is AVIC’s first eVTOL designed with a clear goal of commercial success. During development, teams conducted extensive research into real-world needs such as mountain power-line construction, infrastructure hoisting, and fresh-produce transport. Based on these use cases, the aircraft adopts a multi-rotor configuration and a modular architecture.

Its key feature is a quickly detachable, multi-purpose cargo cabin, allowing seamless switching between internal cargo transport and external sling operations. With a maximum payload of 300 kg, the AR-E800 can deliver equipment to remote mountain stations, perform engineering tasks in challenging terrain, support scenic-area logistics, and conduct emergency supply missions.

The successful maiden flight marks a major milestone, introducing a new intelligent heavy-lift platform for China’s emerging low-altitude logistics sector.