AutoFlight Flies Five eVTOLs in Formation, Autonomously, Over 47 Minutes
AutoFlight says it has completed a world-first formation flight of five eVTOL aircraft across two weight classes. According to the company, the whole formation flew autonomously for 47 minutes with no manual intervention.
- AutoFlight says it flew five eVTOLs in formation: one 5-ton V5000 Matrix and four 2-ton aircraft.
- Three models took part: V5000 Matrix, V2000CG CarryAll cargo and V2000CGF CarryAll firefighting.
- The flight lasted 47 minutes, with the lead V5000 covering more than 133 km, all autonomously.
- Demonstrations were held on October 31 and November 1 at the Bailian Lake Flight Test Base in Kunshan, China.
- The company previously demonstrated a three-aircraft formation in May 2026.
Three models, two weight classes
The formation consisted of one 5-ton V5000 Matrix and four 2-ton eVTOLs. The smaller aircraft came from two models: the V2000CG CarryAll cargo eVTOL and the V2000CGF CarryAll firefighting eVTOL. In total, three aircraft models took part.
The flight lasted 47 minutes, and the lead V5000 covered more than 133 km, according to AutoFlight. The company states that the entire flight was conducted autonomously, with no manual intervention.
Demonstrations in Kunshan
The demonstrations took place on October 31 and November 1 at AutoFlight's Bailian Lake Flight Test Base in Kunshan, China. Invited guests included alumni representatives from the Stanford Executive Program (SEP) at Stanford Graduate School of Business, international eVTOL industry professionals, and AutoFlight customers and partners.
Guests also visited Sunship, AutoFlight's water-based green vertiport on Dianshan Lake, and watched the formation flight from the lakeside.
AutoFlight reports that strong winds were present on November 1, yet the formation maintained stable flight and safe horizontal and vertical separation.
Why mixed formations are hard
AutoFlight notes that coordinating aircraft of different sizes and mission profiles requires precise route planning, flight control, communication, and safety management. The company says the flight demonstrated automated flight control and safe separation across different aircraft models and weight classes.
The result builds on a three-aircraft formation demonstration the company carried out in May 2026. AutoFlight describes the new flight as further progress in coordinating multiple eVTOL models and weight classes.
What it means for low-altitude transport
AutoFlight says the achievement shows its growing capabilities in autonomous multi-aircraft operations and lays the technical foundation for future low-altitude transport networks connecting long-haul, regional, and last-mile routes.
The company is pursuing Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and says it is exploring ways to connect air and sea mobility through eVTOL aircraft and platforms such as Sunship. The source does not give timelines for commercial services or details on certification, so the demonstration should be read as a technical milestone claimed by the company rather than a launch of operations.
PR Newswire: AutoFlight Completes World's First 5-eVTOL Formation Flight
