Chongqing - Chongqing has recently unveiled its first locally made electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft alongside a new official product catalog, introducing new investment and operating platforms to boost the city's tech and manufacturing sectors.
A central deliverable was the Chongqing Low-Altitude Industrial Chain Product Catalog (2025), released by the Chongqing Municipal Development and Reform Commission. The commission said the catalog lists 93 products in five categories: complete low-altitude aircraft, flight propulsion equipment, low-altitude flight components, flight management and control platforms, and supporting equipment. Officials said it is the first panoramic inventory of Chongqing's low-altitude offerings tailored to a mountainous city.
Officials also highlighted four application cases positioned as demand signals. For example, Chongqing's Dazzling Drone Light Show uses a self-developed intelligent drone control system to produce coordinated light-and-shadow patterns for tourism performances. Officials said the program has driven more than 3.5 billion yuan (about 504 million U.S. dollars) in cultural and tourism consumption and has formed a commercial closed loop.
Tourists watch a drone light show at Chaotianmen Square. (Photo/Wang Quanchao)
Another case targeted risk monitoring in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources said drones were used to build an AI monitoring model for timed, fixed-point, and fixed-direction patrols of key rockfall-risk sites. The bureau reported patrol frequency increased by more than 10 times and data collection efficiency rose by more than 20 times compared with traditional methods.
For city operations, Chongqing Liangjiang New Area, China's state-level development zone, described a drone-enabled governance framework summarized as "one network to manage everything, one drone for multiple flights, and one flight for multiple uses." Liangjiang reported a 50% increase in facility utilization, a 60% reduction in fiscal input, and a threefold increase in inspection efficiency.
Thelast case focused on logistics in Fengjie County, a mountainous area known for navel orange production. Local officials said an operating company used drones to hoist-transport 100,000 tons of oranges, boosting transport efficiency by 15 times and cutting costs by half.
Chongqing also unveiled Chongqing Low-Altitude Economy Industry Development Co., Ltd. Organizers said the company will provide integrated flight services and serve as an industrial ecosystem platform.
On financing, officials announced the China Aerospace-ICBC(Chongqing) Aerospace Information and Low-Altitude Economy Industry Fund, with a total size of 2 billion yuan, backed by ICBC Financial Asset Investment Co., China Aerospace Investment Holdings, and the Chongqing government-backed industrial fund.
Moreover, two agreements were signed to expand manufacturing capacity and local supply chains. Units affiliated with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation signed an intent agreement with Saihang Zhixing to develop and manufacture low-altitude aircraft jointly. Auto Flight signed a strategic cooperation framework with Chongqing Liangjiang New Area to build a low-altitude economy ecosystem in southwest China and plan a regional headquarters base in Chongqing. Auto Flight is one of the Chinese eVTOL aircraft development companies.
Auto Flight's 2-Ton-Class Autonomous Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Aircraft (eVTOL). (Photo/Auto Flight)
The day's most visible hardware milestone came with the first public flight demonstration of the first "Made in Chongqing" eVTOL. Officials said the vehicle uses a modular "wing–cabin–chassis" design combining an aircraft and an automobile, with a designed payload of 150 kilograms and a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour, targeting passenger transport, logistics, and emergency response uses.