A 6-ton-class tiltrotor aircraft independently developed by United Aircraft, successfully completed its first public flight in China.
Named Lanying R6000, the tiltrotor marks a major milestone in China’s aviation sector, demonstrating significant progress in advanced vertical-lift aircraft technologies and placing China among the few nations to achieve a maiden flight of a large tiltrotor platform.
Tiltrotor aircraft blend the vertical takeoff, landing, and hovering capabilities of helicopters with the high-speed cruise performance and long-range capabilities of fixed-wing airplanes. The Lanying R6000 embodies this dual-mode design, enabling flexible operation across diverse mission profiles — from point-to-point urban and intercity transport to operations over sea routes and in mountainous regions.
The aircraft is powered by China’s AES100 engine, developed by the Aero Engine Corporation of China, and features advanced tiltrotor technology that allows smooth transitions between vertical and horizontal flight modes. During the maiden flight, engineers verified key systems’ performance, showcasing the aircraft’s stability, control, and overall airworthiness in its initial test.
In terms of performance, the R6000 boasts a cruising speed of about 550 km/h, roughly twice that of conventional helicopters, a maximum payload capacity of 2,000 kg, a maximum range of about 4,000 km, and a service ceiling of around 7,620 m, significantly extending its operational envelope beyond traditional rotorcraft of similar weight.
The aircraft’s innovative features include a unique tilting rotor shaft design, which avoids high-temperature exhaust airflow issues during vertical flight phases and supports safer operations near vessels or platforms without specialized heat-resistant surfaces. The R6000 also incorporates wing folding and blade retraction technologies to reduce its footprint for storage and deployment in constrained environments.
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Beyond civil air commuting, the R6000 is expected to have broad applications including medical emergency response, disaster relief, search and rescue, aerial logistics, tourism, and potential public-service roles, further contributing to China’s expanding “low-altitude economy.”
This successful first flight does not only represent a technical breakthrough in tiltrotor design for China but also lays the groundwork for subsequent flight tests, system refinement, and eventual certification, potentially accelerating deployment in both civilian and specialized aviation sectors
