Chinese manufacturer AutoFlight has conducted a formation flight of five eVTOL aircraft in what it claimed was a world first. Announced on November 5, the demonstration at its Kunshan test base included autonomous aircraft of two different weight classes. The aircraft were airborne for 47 minutes and covered over 133 kilometers (71 nm).
The flight was made on October 31 and repeated on November 1. The formation group included one five-ton V5000 Matrix and various two-ton models including the V2000CG CarryAll cargo platform and the V2000CGF CarryAll firefighting variant. Noting that “coordinating aircraft of different sizes and mission requires precise route planning, flight control, communication, and safety management,” AutoFlight added that “no manual intervention” was required during the sortie. This was despite the presence strong wings on November 1.
The latest milestone builds on an earlier formation flight of three aircraft achieved in May, pairing one V5000 Matrix with two V2000 series units. At the time, AutoFlight stated it had “conducted full-scale operational validation of critical interfaces” between its aircraft, demonstrating system integration capabilities “across multiple models, tonnages and mission scenarios.”
In June, AutoFlight announced it was to fly the V200CG in trial operations with Hong Kong’s Transport and Logistics Bureau in an upcoming regulatory sandbox exercise. The type, which achieved type certification in July 2025, will participate alongside EHang’s certified EH216-S autonomous two-passenger eVTOL.
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