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Aridge CFO says the X3-F is at China's TIA stage, with the type certificate still pending
Michael Du, Aridge's CFO, told Khaleej Times the Land Aircraft Carrier's X3-F is at the TIA stage in China's certification process and that the final type certificate is still pending. He described UAE test operations as early as the start of 2027 and consumer deliveries in late 2027, which could slip to early 2028. XPulse reports US demonstration flights planned from January 2027, with no delivery date and no FAA approval described as granted.
Michael Du, chief financial officer of Aridge, told Khaleej Times that the aircraft module of the Land Aircraft Carrier, called the X3-F, has reached the TIA stage in China's certification process. Khaleej Times reported on October 20 that Du said the company has completed the authority's test flights and that the final type certificate is still pending. The article does not spell out "TIA." Reaching that stage is not an issued type certificate. Du was speaking on the sidelines of the Dubai Business Forum in Shenzhen. The day the TIA stage was reached is not stated.
UAE test operations are a target
Khaleej Times says Aridge expects to begin test operations in the UAE as early as the beginning of 2027. That timing depends on finalising the details of its Ras Al Khaimah regulatory sandbox and on arrangements for bringing the aircraft into the country. The paper says Aridge signed with Ras Al Khaimah last month to set up the sandbox. The programme is expected to run gradually over the next six to 12 months.
"The core is really about not only the product, but actually the operational environment," Du said. He also said the sandbox is "a solid path leading up to the final delivery of the commercial product."
Du said consumer deliveries could begin in late 2027 under an ideal scenario, and could slip into early 2028, depending on how quickly the regulatory framework and the operating environment develop. Those dates are targets. Khaleej Times says he hopes to expand across the UAE, including demonstration routes connecting emirates such as Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. Those routes are plans.
US demonstration flights, from a separate report
XPulse reported on October 18, citing STAR Market Daily, that Aridge plans demonstration flights in the United States from January 2027. XPulse says those plans set no date for US deliveries, and that US demonstrations would need permission from the Federal Aviation Administration. XPulse does not report that permission as granted. XPulse also says a Yangcheng Evening News video from October 16 shows founder Zhao Deli describing flights in different US regions. That is a description of plans, not a completed US flight.
XPulse's opening summary says the US demonstrations would follow flights in the UAE. The January 2027 US plan and the early-2027 UAE test target come from different reports. This page does not treat them as one programme.
What is not established
No type certificate is reported as issued. The TIA stage is not a type certificate, and Khaleej Times does not state the certification basis. The UAE start, the six-to-12-month programme and the late-2027 delivery window are targets. The UAE start still depends on the sandbox and on bringing the aircraft in. A slip into early 2028 is a possibility Du described, not a date the company has moved. No US approval is reported.
Sources
Facts as reported by the linked sources as of Nov 11, 2026. Company targets are plans, not guarantees. Corrections: see About.