Chinese media reported today that an eVTOL manufactured by AVIC Corporation (航空工业), a state-owned aircraft builder, had rolled off the assembly line in southern China’s Guangdong Province, ready for delivery.
The aircraft, named ET9, is a 4-seat, passenger-carrying eVTOL aerial vehicle designed by EVT Aerotechnics, Co., Ltd (南京亿维特公司), which is headquartered in Nanjing, capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu Province.
Zhuhai Linghang Compound Material Co. Ltd (珠海领航复材科技有限公司), a subsidiary of AVIC Corporation, was responsible for assembling ET9 as per a contract manufacturing contract.
Featuring a maximum take-off mass (MTOM) of 2.2 tons and a wingspan of 15 m, the aircraft’s hull was built entirely with compound materials.
According to original news reports, starting in April this year, the Zhuhai affiliate of AVIC has completed a series of procedures within six months, including production plan design, components manufacturing, assembly and paint spray, ahead of schedule.
The Zhuhai firm also signed a strategic agreement of cooperation with EVT Aerotechnics at the ceremony marking the completion of ET8.
The two sides pledged to forge closer links in such areas as project R&D, technology sharing and branding, in a bid to push for a prosperous general aviation industry, including the emerging eVTOL segment, and achieve win-win results.
Founded in January 2022, EVT specializes in the design and development of eVTOL “flying cars” and is devoted to becoming an UAM solution provider.
Its founding team has over a decade of experience in flight system integration, airworthiness certification and other aviation-related matters.
They were involved in development of jumbo jets such as Y-8, ARJ21, C919 and a handful of large-sized UAVs.
China’s eVTOL space is gaining currency these days thanks to the rise of a number of privately owned startups.
As they lead the way in the development of eVTOL models and airworthiness certification, state-run players like AVIC Corporation have joined in, driven by the promising future of an urban air mobility network, with eVTOL at its core.
