The company on Tuesday said it completed an initial test flight of its uncrewed EH216-S in Brazil, conducted just over one week after securing an experimental flight authorization certificate from the country’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) permitting the beginning of trial operations.

EHang is working with ANAC and the Brazilian Airspace Control Department (DECEA) to complete a series of test initiatives designed to help develop a concept of operations and uncrewed air traffic management (UTM) system for the model.

“The ongoing test and trial flight campaigns for the EH216-S in Brazil will allow us to accrue a vast amount of data, information, and operational experience, which in turn will pave the way for developing safe, efficient, eco-friendly, and accessible urban air mobility for everyone across Brazil and Latin America,” said Victoria Xiang, chief operating officer of EHang Europe and Latin America.

EHang is one of several manufacturers building for the urban air mobility (UAM) industry—or the low-altitude economy, as Chinese officials call it—which is innovating new ways to move customers and cargo across cities or metropolitan areas. But unlike the FAA, China’s CAAC is encouraging firms to start with self-flying air taxis, believing them to be safer than piloted alternatives.

EHang’s model is designed to fly two passengers at a top speed of just over 80 mph, with a maximum takeoff weight north of 1,350 pounds. The fully electric aircraft can be charged in just two hours and has a range of about 16 nm.

The EH216-S includes multiple flight control systems and redundant components. It uses high-speed wireless data links to communicate with a remote command and control center, and its fail-safe system can autonomously select an alternative route in an emergency scenario.

The model in October became the first eVTOL air taxi to obtain type certification from a national aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), which in subsequent months issued production and airworthiness approvals. Already, EHang has conducted several commercial demonstration flights in China.

But this week marked the first time the aircraft lifted off in Brazil. The test flight took place in Quadra, São Paulo, with local operating partner Gohobby Future Technologies, which received its first EHang aircraft in December. Several Brazilian aviation officials were present, according to the company.

In August, the ANAC and CAAC agreed upon revised procedures for validating each others’ aircraft certifications, allowing aircraft to more easily be approved, exported, and imported by the countries. The regulators also signed a cooperation agreement to strengthen their partnership on airworthiness technology exchange, legislation, and certification training.

In addition, ANAC officials have visited EHang facilities in China. The agency is now working with the firm to identify a regulatory framework for operations in Brazil, opening the skies for the EH216-S.

Brazil is also home to Embraer and its eVTOL air taxi arm, Eve Air Mobility, which rolled out its first prototype aircraft in June. The company is similarly working closely with ANAC and received proposed airworthiness criteria for its flagship design in December.

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The firm on Thursday published a blog post characterizing U.S. representatives’ portrayal of its relationship with Anzu, a Texas-based company selling drones that are eerily similar to DJI’s Mavic 3, as inaccurate. At the center of the controversy is a unique licensing agreement that the companies say gives Anzu access to DJI’s hardware and software—considered some of the best in the industry—essentially for free. Lawmakers believe the arrangement is fishy.

U.S. Representatives John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), both members of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), wrote letters to Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Randall Warnas, the CEO and founder of Anzu. Warnas previously spent two years at DJI and was briefly the CEO of rival manufacturer Autel. He founded Anzu in April.

The lawmakers cite independent research from various sources, including a drone review YouTube channel and software engineer, that appears to show similarities between Anzu’s Raptor T and DJI’s Mavic 3. Propellers and batteries, for example, were discovered to be near-identical and interchangeable between the two models.

The concern, according to the representatives, is that DJI is using Anzu to circumvent bans on its technology by the Defense Department, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and Department of the Interior, as well as several states. A bill being deliberated by Congress, the Countering CCP Drones Act, could extend those bans to the consumer level by effectively preventing new sales of Chinese-manufactured drones.

Lawmakers have likened DJI to TikTok, the Chinese social media platform that faces accusations of farming user data without consent and its own federal ban. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security have lent some credence to those fears, issuing a report in January that links DJI to the Chinese government. A 2022 Washington Post investigation revealed that the company had obscured ties to several state-backed investors.

DJI, however, denies that it receives any government funding or assistance. It claims that a collection of “state-owned banks, municipal investment funds, and capital management companies” own less than a 6 percent stake in the company, but there is no shady business.

“These enterprises are the same as any institutional investor that purchases stock in a private company, regardless of where that company is headquartered,” the company said Thursday. “The equivalent investment in the United States would be a state-backed pension fund investing in U.S. based technology companies.”

DJI also said allegations from U.S. federal agencies—which range from its role as a “Chinese military company” to aiding an ongoing genocide—are misguided. It has repeatedly emphasized that its drones are developed for peaceful purposes, with no state intervention. In April 2022, the company suspended all sales to Russia and Ukraine following reports that its drones were being used on the battlefield.

“DJI is not a military company,” the firm said. “We have no connection whatsoever with the military, and we see no reason to be named as a Chinese military company by the DOD. In fact, we remain one of few drone companies to clearly denounce and actively discourage the use of our drones in combat.”

As for its relationship with Anzu, DJI characterized it as business as usual. Under the companies’ agreement, Anzu is licensed to modify and manufacture DJI hardware and software to produce its Raptor drones. The aircraft are manufactured in Malaysia, which conveniently is not among the countries facing U.S. restrictions on drone technology. The agreement includes no royalties, shared ownership, or reporting on customer data, Anzu claims.

“This is a standard—and legal—arrangement, commonly practiced by companies across various industries,” DJI said. “One of the earliest examples of this approach dates back to 2018 when DJI and Skycatch partnered to deliver custom drones for a customer.”

Lawmakers are suspicious, though, because of Warnas’ comments to the New York Times that DJI “receives a payment for every drone that Anzu orders from its manufacturer in Malaysia.” They also interpret his comments in another interview as an admission that Anzu was formed specifically to get around U.S. restrictions. Warnas told the Times the arrangement was “essentially DJI’s idea” but separately has denied any knowledge of DJI’s agreement with its manufacturer in Malaysia.

The representatives further point out that Anzu and DJI did not disclose their relationship in Federal Communications Commission filings, only admitting the link after observers found similarities in their products. According to DJI, a plethora of businesses, including American firms, leverage its Software Development Kit (SDK) to develop their drones.

“This is why the software used on Anzu’s drones shares some similarities with DJI’s flight apps—it was built using this SDK,” the company said. “However, it is important to note that Anzu is responsible for overseeing its updates and data policies.”

Lawmakers would prefer to hear from Anzu itself. They asked that Warnas provide a detailed outline of the company’s relationship with DJI by the end of next week. In addition, the Anzu CEO will need to answer a barrage of questions pertaining to its factories in Malaysia, the sources of its components, and more.

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On Tuesday, members of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) alleged that U.S.-based Anzu Robotics and Hong Kong-based Cogito Tech are actually fronts for China’s DJI.

DJI is the world’s largest provider of consumer drones—the kind flown by hobbyists for fun or personal enjoyment. The aircraft undercut most American-built models on price and have proliferated among U.S. buyers, including police and fire departments.

“DJI appears to be using [Anzu and Cogito] as part of a concerted effort to thwart current and prospective restrictions on its operations imposed by the United States,” the lawmakers say.

Chinese drone manufacturers have been the target of sweeping bans on procurement and sale among federal agencies, including the Defense Department, Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and Department of the Interior. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security, among other entities, have warned of cybersecurity threats from DJI drones, citing the company’s obscured ties to several Chinese state-backed investors.

Lawmakers have even called the technology “TikTok with wings,” likening it to the Chinese social media app that faces allegations of spying and collecting user data without consent. A bill being deliberated by Congress, the Countering CCP Drones Act, would effectively extend federal DJI bans to the consumer level by prohibiting the drones from using Federal Communications Commission (FCC) infrastructure.

Amidst the DJI panic, Texas-based Anzu quietly registered with the FCC in December. The company’s founder and CEO, Randall Warnas, spent two years as an enterprise sales manager for DJI and was later chief executive of its competitor Autel before resigning abruptly after three months.

U.S. Representatives John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) worry that Warnas continues to leverage those connections. In letters penned to Warnas and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, they allege Anzu’s Raptor T drone is “essentially a DJI Mavic 3 painted green, with its remote control and application all running on DJI technology.”

Warnas told FLYING: “We believe there are fundamental misunderstandings about how Anzu Robotics operates and complies with the law. We look forward to working collaboratively with the Committee to address their concerns.”

A Drone Clone?

The lawmakers cite independent research from drone reviewer Half Chrome Drones and software developer Konrad Iturbe, who documented myriad similarities between the Raptor T and DJI’s Mavic 3, including some of the same hardware. Shortly after they published their investigations, DJI revealed the companies’ partnership—which they did not disclose to the FCC—to news outlet DroneDJ.

“DJI has a business partnership with Anzu Robotics,” a company spokesperson said. “This was established with the goal of enhancing the accessibility of capable and cost-effective drones in the market. DJI had established a similar partnership in the past when it collaborated with Skycatch in 2018.”

Anzu claims it has rebuilt DJI’s software in partnership with American firm Aloft Technologies, using U.S. servers to store data. But lawmakers claim the company relies heavily on the Chinese manufacturer in that arena, too.

Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi cite an analysis authored by Andreas Makris, CEO of German software startup ThinkAwesome, that suggests Anzu’s firmware is signed and decrypted by DJI keys, among other connections. In their view, this “strongly indicates that the Anzu firmware was directly sourced from DJI.”

“The Anzu Raptor is just a green DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, without any substantial own development,” Makris concludes.

His analysis also found that Raptor’s remote controller “seems to be a relabeled DJI RC Pro.” It has identical firmware but uses a different app, Aloft ai, that runs on DJI’s software.

“The software provided to Anzu Robotics is our Software Development Kit (SDK), which is publicly accessible on the internet for any developers within the drone ecosystem to utilize for free,” a DJI spokesperson told FLYING.

But according to Makris, “all functions like DJI cloudcontrol are still in the SDK. If this is an [sic] ‘secure’ product, like Anzu claims, it should not use an SDK that has these functions included.”

What’s in It for DJI?

Anzu claims to operate and develop its technology independently. But it has a unique licensing agreement with DJI that has drawn scrutiny from lawmakers. According to the firm, the partnership allows it to modify and manufacture DJI hardware and software to produce its Raptor series drones.

“There are no royalties shared with the licensing organization (DJI), no joint or shared ownership of Anzu Robotics, and no reporting on customer data,” the company says in an FAQ.

Lawmakers say the arrangement is fishy. They point out that DJI under the agreement would be providing access to its industry leading technology essentially for free. In addition, internal Anzu materials show that DJI provides “priority technical support” for Raptor drones.

“Through this licensing agreement, Anzu Robotics maintains a relationship with a manufacturer that, in turn, has a relationship with DJI,” the DJI spokesperson told FLYING.

 “Given these facts,” the lawmakers write, “it is hard to understand the business rationale for DJI to enter into this relationship aside from using it as a passthrough to circumvent legal restrictions (current and prospective) placed on its products.”

Warnas’ comments in an interview with the New York Times appear to contradict Anzu’s position: “Anzu licensed the design for its drones from DJI, which receives a payment for every drone that Anzu orders from its manufacturer in Malaysia.”

The implication, according to lawmakers, is that DJI is paying a premium to get Anzu’s “clones” on the U.S. market.

Warnas told the Washington Post he has no knowledge of the agreement between DJI and the Malaysian manufacturer Anzu uses: “It could be just like a monthly fee…but I am unaware of that and I like to be unaware of that because then I could say I don’t know how DJI is benefiting from this.”

In an earlier interview with YouTuber Bill the Drone Reviewer, the Anzu CEO recalled a conversation with DJI executives regarding declining market share due to U.S. bans. Later in the discussion, in lawmakers’ opinion, he admitted “that this conversation was the genesis for the eventual Anzu licensing agreement with DJI.” Separately, Warnas told the New York Times it was “essentially DJI’s idea” to form the arrangement.

Also in lawmakers’ crosshairs is Cogito, which they similarly allege is selling DJI clones. They point to a “teardown” video analyzing the internal components of Cogito’s Specta Air and DJI’s Air 3, in which Half Chrome reviewers discovered certain components, such as propellers and batteries, are interchangeable between the two models.

Makris reviewed Specta’s internal code and found that DJI is listed as the manufacturer. Additionally, drone experts tell The Hill that the Specta Air and Specta Mini are almost indistinguishable from DJI products.

Opening the Floodgates

Moolenaar and Krishnamoorthi request that Anzu provide the House committee with a rundown of its relationship with DJI by September 13. They also pose plenty of questions for the company to answer by September 6.

Lawmakers request that Anzu disclose any contractual and financial transactions with DJI, information on its factories in Malaysia, and the sources of components such as chips. They question DJI’s level of involvement in the manufacturing and sourcing of parts, asking Warnas to detail the nature of his time at the company.

The representatives also issued a call to action to the Commerce Department, urging it to implement measures that would prevent DJI and others from selling white label products through American companies. Such measures could be popular in Congress, which has passed several federal bans on Chinese drone manufacturers with bipartisan support.

“This effort represents a second ongoing attempt by DJI to white label its products,” the lawmakers write, in reference to Cogito. “It is unknown how many more may be ongoing.”

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Per the Associated Press, China’s Commerce Ministry on Wednesday said it would attach export controls to drones that could be converted and deployed on the battlefield, as well as certain equipment, such as infrared lasers.

At the same time, the country will lift unspecified temporary restrictions on certain consumer drones. About a year ago, China imposed export controls on both civilian and military drones that could be used for “non-peaceful purposes.”

The changes will take effect on September 1.

Western countries have been angling for greater restrictions on China, which is the world’s largest exporter of consumer drones, but sanctions and export controls have not entirely quelled concerns.

For example, DJI, the country’s largest drone manufacturer, suspended direct sales to Russia and Ukraine, but the company’s aircraft are still reaching the battlefield. In response, the U.S. has sanctioned individual Chinese companies suspected of supplying Russia with drones via third-party networks and countries, such as through Iran.

U.S. lawmakers have been particularly harsh on Chinese drone manufacturers, comparing DJI to TikTok and pushing for an array of restrictive bills.

One measure, the American Security Drone Act, was even included in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), barring procurement of Chinese drones by federal agencies.

Another bill, the Countering CCP Drones Act, aims to add DJI, Autel, and other Chinese manufacturers to the Federal Communication Commission’s covered list, which would effectively end all new sales to the U.S. at both the federal and consumer levels. Some U.S senators are working to get the legislation added to next year’s NDAA.

The anti-China bills come amid FBI and Department of Homeland Security assessments that the drones could pose a cybersecurity threat, coupled with allegations that the aircraft are using their cameras to spy on Americans and transmit data back to China.

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Conspicuously missing from the Senate’s fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (FY25 NDAA), though, is an amendment that would effectively ban new Chinese drone models from flying in U.S. skies.

The Countering CCP Drones Act made it into the House version of the FY25 NDAA, which passed in June with a vote of 217-199 and was largely backed by Republicans. But when contemplating its addition to the Senate legislation, lawmakers reportedly dropped the measure after hearing from over 6,000 public safety agencies that opposed the measure.

The bill is not dead yet, however. Last week, Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) introduced an amendment to the FY25 NDAA, cosponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), that puts the Countering CCP Drones Act back on the table in committee discussions.

Even if the amendment is rejected in the Senate, it could resurface in reconciliations between the Senate and House due to its inclusion in the latter’s version of the NDAA.

The Countering CCP Drones Act is the culmination of U.S. government efforts to restrict Chinese-manufactured drones from dominating the country’s drone industry. Lawmakers have also accused the Chinese Communist Party of using the aircraft to spy on Americans, citing its ties to state-owned entities. At present, there is no conclusive evidence to verify the claims, and manufacturers such as DJI have pushed back on the allegations.

Chinese drones have been blacklisted by the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of the Treasury, and other federal agencies. The states too have taken aim at the aircraft, with Arkansas and Scott’s home state of Florida implementing the most sweeping bans.

One significant drone-related provision, the bipartisan American Security Drone Act, made it into last year’s NDAA. That measure prohibits U.S. federal agencies and federally funded programs from procuring drones manufactured in China or Russia.

Adding to the fervor, the FBI and Department of Homeland Security released a report detailing the threat of Chinese drones shortly after the NDAA was signed into law.

The Countering CCP Drones Act that will be contemplated by the Senate targets two manufacturers in particular, DJI and Autel. Those firms, and any subsidiaries, partners, or affiliates, would be added to the Federal Communications Commission’s covered list—essentially a list of companies with which the U.S. government refuses to do business.

The companies’ addition to the covered list would not impact DJI and Autel drones already being flown by hobbyists or private companies, for example. However, it would prevent the FCC from authorizing new equipment and prohibit newly sold drones from using U.S. communications infrastructure, effectively banning all sales in the country.

The legislation was first introduced in 2022 by Scott and Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in the Senate and by Representative Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) in the House.

After failing to move it forward, Stefanik in 2023 reintroduced the bill in the House, pushing successfully for its inclusion in the House NDAA released in June. That month, the measure was also reintroduced in the Senate but did not receive enough support to be added to that chamber’s version of the bill.

DJI drones in particular are widely deployed by U.S. law enforcement and public safety agencies, who opposed the restrictions because other models are typically more expensive and less effective. Police departments in states that have not banned Chinese drones are continuing to buy them in droves.

Their efforts may be for naught, though, if the Senate is receptive to Scott’s amendment. Even if senators reject it, the measure’s inclusion in the House version of the NDAA could give it new life in the reconciliation process.

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After completing the world’s first electric air taxi flights in Guangzhou and Hefei in December, EHang on Sunday made debut passenger carrying flights in the city of Taiyuan.

The trips, completed using EHang’s self-flying EH216-S air taxi, follow the company’s delivery of 10 aircraft to Xishan Tourism, which in May signed a purchase order for 50 units. The companies have a tentative agreement for EHang to deliver 450 aircraft over the next two years, with an eye toward launching aerial tourism and sightseeing services across North China.

“We have gradually delivered EH216-S by batches to Taiyuan, Hefei, Wuxi, Wencheng, Zhuhai, and other places, and are actively assisting our local partners who are creating application scenarios to obtain [air operator certification],” said Zhao Wang, chief operating officer of EHang.

EHang received its own air operator certificate last week from China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC).

The province of Shanxi, in which Taiyuan is located, has been designated by the Chinese government as a national demonstration province for the country’s low-altitude economy, an analog to the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry forming in the U.S. and elsewhere. Taiyuan is the region’s capital and largest city and is considered a political and economic center.

The measure subsidizes regular, low-altitude tourism flights in the region, as well as the construction of infrastructure and other capabilities needed for routine service.

“Taiyuan is a national civil unmanned aerial vehicle test zone, with the foundation and advantages to develop the aviation industry, and will actively seize the lead in the emerging low-altitude economy industry,” said Jicheng Yang, executive vice mayor of Taiyuan and a member of the city’s municipal committee. “Taiyuan will enhance policy support, essential guarantees, and innovation capabilities, and promote the deep integration of technological innovation and the low-altitude economy.”

Xishan Tourism plans to use the designation to launch low-altitude sightseeing and tourism routes to local sites such as Yuquan Mountain, Paddy Field Park, and Juewei Mountain.

On Sunday, two EH216-S aircraft, carrying two passengers each, took off and flew autonomously from Paddy Field Park in a ceremony attended by regional government officials and industry experts. Two of the passengers were officials within the newly formed Taiyuan Xishan Ecological Tourism Demonstration Zone.

Xishan Tourism, though, said it is still working toward “regular operation”—in other words, the flights are not yet routine, as is the case in Guangzhou and Hefei.

“Xishan Tourism plans to collaborate with EHang and other partners on low-altitude scenarios of air mobility, tourism, and public services to establish multiple flight camps or landing pads, alongside various low-altitude sightseeing routes for pilotless eVTOL within Taiyuan and nearby scenic areas,” said Yaozong Chang, chairman of Xishan Tourism. “We aim to build an urban low-altitude tourism mobility network and a new urban air traffic management system, and to establish a low-altitude economy industrial park.”

EHang at the event also demonstrated its longer-range, passenger-carrying VT-30, firefighting EH216-F, and EH216-L for cargo logistics.

All four aircraft were on display in the Middle East in May, when the manufacturer completed that region’s first passenger carrying eVTOL flights in the United Arab Emirates.

The company’s flagship EH216-S is the first and only eVTOL design to receive type certification from a national aviation regulator, the CAAC. The regulator in December also handed the EH216-S the world’s first eVTOL airworthiness certification and in April gave the green light for EHang to begin mass manufacturing the model.

That puts the company well ahead of competitors in the U.S. such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation, which are building piloted air taxis but have yet to obtain any of those three approvals. Both companies are targeting commercial rollouts in 2025.

Like EHang, Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero is building a self-flying design but does not expect it to fly commercially until the end of the decade.

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The Chinese firm on Monday announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with China Southern Airlines General Aviation (CSGAC), the GA subsidiary of China Southern Airlines, which in 2023 ranked as one of the 10 largest public airlines by revenue. EHang and CSGAC will focus mainly on flight operations, infrastructure support, demonstrations, and the development of new use cases for the former’s flagship EH216-S.

Since the aircraft is self-flying, the partners will not need to worry about pilot training, a common concern among U.S. manufacturers of piloted eVTOL models. Boeing air taxi subsidiary Wisk Aero is one of the few U.S. manufacturers seeking to fly autonomously at launch.

EHang’s model is intended to be a part of China’s low-altitude economy, an analog to the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry taking shape in the U.S. and abroad.

“CSGAC is actively exploring expansion into the emerging low-altitude industry,” said Erbao Li, chairman of CSGAC. “This cooperation will create innovative archetypes for the low-altitude economy, unlocking new growth opportunities for the general aviation industry and driving the high-quality advancement of the low-altitude economy industry chain in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.”

The companies intend to create demonstration sites at Zhuhai Jiuzhou Airport (ZGSD) and Zhuhai Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, a popular theme park, that will serve as hubs for aerial tourism in Zhuhai and the surrounding Greater Bay Area.

“As a frontrunner in the eVTOL industry, we believe that the safe operations of pilotless eVTOL aircraft is crucial to the industry’s development,” said Zhao Wang, chief operating officer of EHang. “Together with CSGAC, we will establish demonstration sites for pilotless eVTOL operations in the Greater Bay Area and spearhead safe, sustainable, and efficient low-altitude operations.”

The partners will also look at potential island-hopping use cases for the EH216-S, including cargo transport, emergency response, and medical evacuations. CSGAC will help train EHang operational personnel, build vertiport infrastructure, develop a platform for flight services, and define maintenance standards.

The arrangement is somewhat similar to those between Archer Aviation and United Airlines and Joby Aviation and Delta Air Lines, for example.

Unlike Archer and Joby, EHang already has begun delivering aircraft to customers. In December, the EH216-S became the first eVTOL air taxi to complete a commercial flight, a feat made more impressive by the fact that the aircraft flies entirely on its own. It followed that in May with the Middle East’s first passenger-carrying eVTOL demonstration.

The two-passenger aircraft has a range of about 22 sm (19 nm) and cruises at about 80 mph (70 knots), making it smaller and less capable than most piloted eVTOL designs, such as Archer’s Midnight or Joby’s air taxi. While those companies are focused mainly on transportation to and from airports, EHang will prioritize out-and-back aerial sightseeing trips.

A wingless design, the EH216-S deploys a coaxial dual-propeller architecture, with eight foldable arms housing 16 lift-and-thrust rotors.

The Chinese manufacturer has received plenty of help, obtaining financial and regulatory support from local and regional governments, particularly those in the cities of Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Hefei. Unlike the FAA or European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC) wants to get autonomous aircraft in the skies first, perceiving them as safer than their crewed counterparts. EHang’s closest competitor is Autoflight, another manufacturer of self-flying eVTOL air taxis.

In addition to being the first to receive type certification, the EH216-S is also the first aircraft of its kind to be approved for airworthiness and mass production, which began in April. In February, the manufacturer revealed the price tag for the model: around $330,000, which, based on FLYING’s analysis, would make it one of the cheapest eVTOL air taxis on the market.

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The German manufacturer on Monday signed a collaboration agreement with the Bao’an District of Shenzhen, China, one of the massive city’s nine subdivisions, to establish its Asia-Pacific region (APAC) headquarters through a new Chinese entity called Powerful Wing. 

The agreement builds on Lilium’s previously announced deals with the Bao’an District and Heli-Eastern, a Chinese general aviation transport and helicopter services company that plans to order 100 Lilium Jets, signed in June 2023.

Lilium said it is in the process of opening the headquarters—Bao’an’s first regional office for a European eVTOL manufacturer—within the district’s Low Altitude Economy Industry Public Service Center. Local recruitment in the Shenzhen region is expected to begin this year.

“China represents a huge opportunity for the eVTOL industry, and this partnership with the Bao’an District will expand our footprint even further in China,” said Klaus Roewe, CEO of Lilium. “We believe the Lilium Jet is well placed to meet the demands of customers in China and across the region.”

Lilium on Monday reiterated that it intends to expand Lilium Jet operations across China and the surrounding APAC region. The all-electric, seven-seat jet is designed to cruise at 162 knots on trips spanning 25 to 125 sm (22 to 109 nm). The design, which includes 36 electric ducted fans embedded in fixed wings, sacrifices some hover efficiency for greatly improved efficiency during cruise and keeps noise to a minimum, Lilium says.

The partnership will initially focus on China’s Greater Bay Area, encompassing Guangdong and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau—home to an estimated 85 million people.

The manufacturer’s regional headquarters will help it manage Lilium Jet sales, services, and support and open partnerships with local customers, infrastructure developers, and regulators in China’s low altitude economy—an analog to the advanced air mobility (AAM) industry taking shape in the U.S. and Europe.

The firm will work with infrastructure providers, for example, to build an ecosystem that is compatible with its flagship aircraft and will participate in “low altitude economy industry events,” such as trade shows and demonstrations.

“We are proud to welcome Lilium to Bao’an District as part of our shared mission to build the low altitude economy of the future,” said Yong Ni, a representative of the Bao’an District. “This valuable collaboration will create exciting new opportunities and support the development of the necessary infrastructure to bring sustainable regional aviation to Shenzhen.”

Lilium estimates the Chinese market will account for about one-quarter of the global eVTOL industry, and it plans to certify the Lilium Jet with China’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAAC). The regulator in October awarded manufacturer EHang the world’s first eVTOL type certificate and is on pace to introduce eVTOL aircraft at scale more quickly than its counterparts to the West.

Beyond the Bao’an District and Heli-Eastern, Lilium has a partnership with Citic Offshore Helicopter Co.—China’s sole helicopter port pilotage provider—to build an operational network for the Lilium Jet in the Greater Bay Area, including in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macau, Hainan Island, and Tianjin. Notably, Tianjin is in the north of the country, hundreds of miles from Shenzhen.

Outside China, Lilium also intends to fly in the Philippines in partnership with private and commercial operator PhilJets, which may purchase as many as 10 aircraft.

The manufacturer in December began building an initial group of production prototype aircraft, which it will use to conduct flight testing with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). It expects to achieve piloted flight by year’s end, with type certification following in 2025.

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“This shows that warfighter-centric innovation is not only possible; it’s producing real results,” Kathleen Hicks, U.S. deputy secretary of defense, said in a statement last week. “Together with the private sector and with support from Congress, the Replicator initiative is delivering capabilities at greater speed and scale while simultaneously burning down risk and alleviating systemic barriers across the department.”

Hicks did not specify which systems have been delivered, how many, or to whom. But the update marks progress toward equipping the U.S. military with aircraft that the deputy defense secretary previously described as “small, smart, cheap, and many.”

Replicator has largely been shrouded in secrecy since it was revealed by Hicks in October. The program seeks to produce UAS cheaply and at scale with the assistance of the private sector, including commercial manufacturers and defense companies.

“We are seeing contract awards for autonomous, attritable systems being increased in size and pulled forward,” the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), which is supporting the program, says on its website.

The drones, which the DOD characterizes as all-domain attritable autonomous systems (ADA2), are designed to be deployed in minutes and be shot down with little to no impact on military capabilities, making them ideal for operations in high-risk environments, such as the battlefield.

Replicator’s primary objective is to help the U.S. keep pace with China’s growing military strength—the People’s Liberation Army has an estimated 2,200 combat aircraft and boasts the world’s largest Navy, per DOD data—but the aircraft will be deployed across multiple domains. The current 18-to-24-month initiative, Replicator 1, is intended to be the first of several iterations of the program.

The DOD operates more than 11,000 UAS across air, land, and sea mainly for training, testing, and surveillance. The smallest is the RQ-11B Raven, which weighs just over 4 pounds and can fly up to 6.2 sm (5.4 nm). At the other end of the spectrum are aircraft such as the remotely piloted RQ-4 Global Hawk, which weighs nearly 15,000 pounds and has a 131-foot wingspan.

Earlier this month, the department announced $500 million in funding for Replicator for fiscal year 2024, much of which comes from the 2024 defense spending bill. It also confirmed the first aircraft to benefit from the program’s accelerated speed and scale: the Switchblade-600, a loitering munition (known colloquially as a kamikaze drone) produced by California-based Aerovironment.

Switchblades, which can hover in the air for as long as 40 minutes before striking a target, have been used by Ukrainian soldiers and will add “additional capability to U.S. forces,” the department said. The first tranche, or batch, of Replicator-backed technology will include additional UAS and counter-UAS systems, some of which remain classified.

Now, at least some of those systems have been delivered. But whether or not they are Switchblades remains a mystery. A possible destination for the aircraft could be the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, which oversees operations of U.S. forces in the region.

The DOD is seeking another $500 million in funding for Replicator in next year’s provisional budget, signaling that the program is only just beginning.

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In this edition of V1 Rotate, FLYING contributor Sam Weigel chats with Ed Krause, who has been flying as an expat pilot in Asia for the past 16 years. Krause takes Weigel through the process of being hired at a startup regional airline in China, transitioning to business jets, and more. Learn how the expat pilot market is evolving, what the future may have in store, and ways to make yourself competitive for an overseas job.

The post Riding the Wave as an Expat Pilot in Asia appeared first on FLYING Magazine.