The 2026 High-Quality Development Conference for the Low-Altitude Economy was held in Beijing on May 27, themed "Empowering Airspace, Gathering Momentum for Strength." Deng Zhou, Director of the Industrial Development Research Office at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of Industrial Economics, interpreted the "Low-Altitude Economy Development Report (2026)."
He noted that the low-altitude economy is a new economic model centered on manned and unmanned aircraft, driving coordinated development across manufacturing, operations, infrastructure, and information services. Currently, the low-altitude economy is transitioning from localized pilot projects and isolated breakthroughs to a phase of multi-sector collaboration and full industrial chain development. As China enters the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan, the low-altitude economy is poised to officially begin its industrial development phase.
Deng emphasized that the strategic importance of the low-altitude economy has greatly increased in recent years, becoming a key vehicle for fostering new quality productive forces and building a modern industrial system. With the gradual refinement of policies, the low-altitude economy has evolved from an initial strategic cultivation target to an officially recognized "emerging pillar industry" and a future strategic starting point. In terms of industrial development, China's drone research and development and manufacturing capabilities have seen significant improvement, with both market scale and technical expertise firmly placing the country in the global first tier. Vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) are also on the verge of a breakthrough. In application scenarios, agricultural and forestry production and power line inspection are the most mature, while emerging areas such as low-altitude logistics, urban governance, and emergency response are continuously being tested and demonstrated.
When analyzing the international competitiveness of China's low-altitude economy, Deng pointed out that China's strengths and weaknesses are equally evident. Data shows that the Revealed Comparative Advantage (RCA) index for China's low-altitude economy-related products has reached 3.13, and the Trade Competitiveness (TC) index is as high as 0.83, nearing world-leading levels and indicating significant export advantages. However, notable gaps remain in core materials, avionics systems, and international airworthiness certification. Specifically, within the industrial chain, China leads globally in the delivery capacity of airframe manufacturing but has a high external dependency on main control chips for flight control systems and high-precision navigation modules. Power batteries currently represent the biggest technological constraint, though various new power systems are simultaneously under development.
Addressing current bottlenecks and challenges, Deng acknowledged that optimizing airspace management at the institutional level and obtaining airworthiness certification are two major constraints, with data security and regulation also posing future difficulties in institutional development. Additionally, although the overall industrial chain ranks in the global first tier, a high-value payment mechanism in the market has yet to be established, with many companies still operating at a loss. Nevertheless, from technological breakthroughs and infrastructure development on the supply side to the transformation of traditional industries and the rise of new consumption on the demand side, the low-altitude economy still faces substantial development opportunities.
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