China's Independently Developed 10-Tonne Electric Aircraft Completes First Piloted Flight

China's independently developed 10-ton-class electric commercial aircraft, the CE-25A, completed its first crewed flight, yesterday.

A major step forward for green aviation has taken place in China as the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) announced that its locally developed CE-25A electric aircraft has successfully completed its maiden piloted test flight in Binzhou, the eastern province of Shandong.

Chinese State broadcaster CCTV reported yesterday that the two pilots and a flight test engineer took part in the flight test.

The CE-25A is COMAC's first electric commercial aircraft designed for intercity flights, with a capacity of 19 passengers. 

It has a maximum takeoff weight of 10 tonnes.

The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC) says China's independently developed 10-tonne electric commercial aircraft CE-25A completed its maiden piloted flight on Saturday. 

The aircraft carried two pilots and one flght-test engineer during the flight in Binzhou, east China's Shandong Province and stayed aloft for 16 minutes and 38 seconds, covering 60.4 kilometers and completing its test mission.

The CE-25A is COMAC's first electric commercial aircraft. Designed mainly for intercity commercial flights, it can carry 19 passengers and has a maximum takeoff weight of 10 tonnes. 

It has a cruising speed of 300 km per hour, a cruising altitude of 2,400 meters and a range of 400 km.

Before the crewed flight, the CE-25A had completed 19 unmanned smart flights designated to verify the aircraft's performance and ensure reliability before proceeding to crewed flights.

The aircraft completed its first unmanned autonomous flight on February 02, this year.

The CE-25A was developed by COMAC in collaboration with partners including Chinese battery giant CATL and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. 

The Civil Aviation Administration of China has accepted COMAC's application for the CE-25A type certificate.

SOURCE: XINHUA