AutoFlight completed a three-aircraft formation flight that included one V5000 Matrix and two V2000 series aircraft, as the Chinese eVTOL developer moves its 5-ton cargo platform through airworthiness certification.

Conducted in Kunshan, China on May 20, the test validated communication links, route planning, flight coordination and safety controls between the 5-ton and 2-ton platforms. The company said the mission generated operational data for multi-aircraft coordination across use cases including low-altitude logistics, emergency response, maritime support and regional air transport.

On the certification front, the cargo hybrid-electric variant of the V5000, designated V5000CGH—a larger eVTOL platform designed for cargo and regional transport missions— is now advancing through airworthiness certification with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on schedule. The company described the development as a transition from research and development validation to a standardized approval process.

The V5000CGH has a maximum takeoff weight of 5,700 kilograms, a maximum cruise speed of 280 kilometers per hour and a cargo volume exceeding 14 cubic meters, designed to accommodate two AKE standard air cargo containers. The aircraft has a maximum payload of 1.5 metric tons and a stated maximum range of 1,500 kilometers, which the company attributes to its hybrid-electric propulsion system.

The aircraft is intended for applications including large-scale emergency rescue, offshore energy supply chains and heavy feeder logistics connecting regional and interprovincial routes, according to the company. AutoFlight positioned its payload capacity, operational range and cargo volume as differentiators for eVTOL deployment in what it termed the “low-altitude economy”, a regulatory and commercial framework China has been developing to open lower airspace for commercial drone and air mobility operations.

The V5000CGH program follows the certification path established by AutoFlight’s smaller cargo platform. The V2000CG CarryAll, a 2-ton eVTOL, holds a full set of CAAC airworthiness certificates — type certificate, production certificate and airworthiness certificate. AutoFlight said work on a separate six-seat passenger variant, the V2000EM Prosperity, has entered the compliance verification phase.

AutoFlight CEO and founder Tian Yu, speaking at the aircraft’s February unveiling, said the V5000 Matrix “will break the industry perception that eVTOL [is] short-haul, low-load, and will reshape the rules of eVTOL routes.”

AutoFlight, headquartered in Shanghai, has focused its commercial strategy on cargo applications, targeting logistics and emergency response markets ahead of passenger service.