News · · 3 min read
AutoFlight says five eVTOLs flew a mixed formation at Kunshan
AutoFlight says that on October 31 and November 1, 2026 it flew five eVTOLs in formation at its Bailian Lake test base in Kunshan, one 5-ton V5000 Matrix and four 2-ton aircraft, the V2000CG CarryAll and the V2000CGF firefighting model. It says the autonomous flight lasted 47 minutes and the lead V5000 covered more than 133 km, including in strong winds on November 1. "World first" is the company's claim. No passengers are stated. This is not a certification.
AutoFlight said on a page dated November 3, 2026, and datelined Kunshan, that it had completed a formation flight of five eVTOL aircraft across two weight classes. It calls that flight a world first. "World first" is AutoFlight's claim. Shanghai Securities News (上海证券报), in a Chinese article carrying the byline of reporter 宋薇萍 and the time 2026-11-04 07:31 on 10jqka, reports that the reporter learned from 峰飞航空 on November 4 that the company completed the demonstration in Kunshan on October 31 and November 1. The securities article does not call the flight a world first. A block above that article is labeled as generated by an automated summary tool. This page uses the reporter's text, not that block.
What flew, and where
AutoFlight says the demonstrations were on October 31 and November 1 at its Bailian Lake Flight Test Base in Kunshan. It says guests included alumni representatives of the Stanford Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business, international eVTOL industry professionals, and AutoFlight customers and partners. It says those guests also visited Sunship, which it calls its water-based green vertiport on Dianshan Lake, and watched the formation from the lakeside. The securities article says the flights were in Kunshan over those two days. It does not name Bailian Lake, Dianshan Lake or Sunship, and it does not describe guests.
AutoFlight says the formation was one 5-ton V5000 Matrix and four 2-ton eVTOLs, and that the five aircraft were three models: the V5000 Matrix, the V2000CG CarryAll cargo eVTOL and the V2000CGF CarryAll firefighting eVTOL. The securities article says the same mix in Chinese: one 5-ton-class eVTOL and four 2-ton-class eVTOLs, covering the V5000天际龙, the V2000CG凯瑞鸥 and the V2000CGF凯瑞鸥消防版. Neither account says how the four 2-ton aircraft were divided between the cargo model and the firefighting model.
AutoFlight says the five-aircraft formation completed a coordinated 47-minute flight, that the entire flight was autonomous, with no manual intervention, and that the lead V5000 covered more than 133 km. The securities article says that during the 47-minute fully automatic formation flight (全程自动飞行), the range exceeded 133 km. It does not say that the distance figure is only the lead aircraft's. Both say the formation stayed stable in strong winds on November 1. AutoFlight adds that it kept safe horizontal and vertical separation. The securities article says it remained in stable coordination (稳定协同).
What AutoFlight says this follows
AutoFlight says the flight builds on a three-aircraft formation demonstration in May 2026. The securities article does not mention a May flight. This page did not open a separate source for that May demonstration, and it does not treat the May flight as part of this one. AutoFlight says the November demonstration lays a technical foundation for future low-altitude networks connecting long-haul, regional and last-mile routes. The securities article reports that AutoFlight said the demonstration lays a technical foundation for a future trunk, branch and last-mile network (干—支—末), and that it could improve efficiency and cost. Those are the company's statements about the future. They are not a route, a date or an approval.
The photograph
The photograph on this page is a CarryAll cargo eVTOL, the model AutoFlight lists as the V2000CG. It is one of the three models named in this formation. It is not a photograph of the October 31 or November 1 flight. AutoFlight's release, as opened, did not include a photograph. The securities page did not provide a photograph used here.
What is not established
No passenger is stated. Watching from the lakeside is not a statement that anyone was aboard. The flight is not a certification. It is not a type certificate, and it is not permission to carry passengers. "World first" is AutoFlight's wording. The securities article, which says its reporter learned the account from the company, does not use it. The split of the four 2-ton aircraft between cargo and firefighting models is not stated. The securities article's "more than 133 km" is not explicitly limited to the lead V5000, which is how AutoFlight states the distance. A price, a customer for these five aircraft and an operating approval are not stated. The May 2026 three-aircraft flight is AutoFlight's reference only.
Sources
Facts as reported by the linked sources as of Nov 11, 2026. Company targets are plans, not guarantees. Corrections: see About.