On December 30, 2025, Yufeng Future's 150-kilogram E40H civil unmanned aircraft system successfully obtained a Type Certificate (Certificate No.: TC0105A-ZN) issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Central and Southern Regional Administration. This marks the world's first unmanned aviation product in the medium-sized composite wing and hybrid power drone categories to meet the authority's airworthiness requirements, and it is also the first such product to receive a Type Certificate in China following the enactment of the new Civil Aviation Law. The E40H was independently developed by Fukun, Yufeng Future's brand for small and medium-sized eVTOL aircraft. During the E40H certification process, Fukun's Design Assurance System (DAS) underwent simultaneous trial operations and was refined based on operational feedback; this system was formally approved by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Central and Southern Regional Administration on December 10, 2025, having been established and proven effective in accordance with applicable regulatory documents. The DAS approval signifies that Fukun's activities in type design, compliance verification, compliance checking, and independent supervision have gained recognition from the authority, paving the way for efficient future airworthiness certification. On July 31, 2024, the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Central and Southern Regional Administration formally accepted Fukun's application for the E40H Type Certificate (TC), forming a review team in August of the same year and holding the first E40H type review meeting in December. Manufacturing conformity inspections were conducted in July 2025, alongside compliance verification tests witnessed by the authority, with final evaluations completed in December. The entire process, culminating in the official issuance of the TC on December 30, 2025, took just 1 year and 5 months. The type certification review for the E40H civil unmanned aircraft system was executed by the project team in strict adherence to the certification basis and plan approved by the review group. This involved completing 41 compliance verification tests, preparing 42 engineering reports and test outlines, conducting over 2,000 hours of ground and laboratory tests, and finishing 167 sorties amounting to more than 480 flight hours and 43,000 kilometers of flight validation. The authority witnessed 13 compliance verification tests, all of which were passed on the first attempt. The awarding of the Type Certificate signifies that the E40H's design safety and reliability fully comply with the stringent airworthiness standards of the civil aviation authority, granting it the crucial qualification for large-scale commercial operations. The Type Certificate represents the industry entry threshold for aircraft, while commercial application determines their actual value. Only by transforming safe and reliable technology into sustainable service and product capabilities that effectively solve challenges in people's production and daily lives can it genuinely serve society and create value. The veteran E40H model has repeatedly undertaken support missions and been tested in major real-world emergency rescue operations. In 2025 alone, the E40H participated in multiple practical rescue missions, including the Zhaoqing Huaiji June 18 flood disaster rescue, typhoon rescues such as "Wipha" and "Wutip," and a Jieyang maritime search and rescue operation. It completed modeling for over 80 open-pit mines, nearly 30 emergency drill tasks, and successfully executed the "Yangjiang-Zhuhai 150 km cross-sea low-altitude logistics route" flight mission while carrying 18 kilograms of seafood. It has demonstrated significant value across various application fields and, through actual operations, has established nearly 20 application standards covering daily maintenance, operational management, emergency response, platform dispatch, and airspace support. As Yufeng Future's core system R&D and flight control supplier, Fukun's DAS approval has also laid a solid foundation for the efficient airworthiness certification of future large eVTOL aircraft. Currently, Yufeng Future is also making steady progress in the airworthiness certification of large eVTOLs. The application for a Type Certificate for its independently developed 2-ton class electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, the M1B airworthy model, was accepted by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, Eastern Regional Administration in January 2024. It is expected to complete airworthiness certification and officially commercialize this year, initially being applied in fields such as emergency firefighting and logistics transportation, while also driving the development of low-altitude infrastructure. The company will also formally submit a TC application for the M1 manned version to the Civil Aviation Administration of China at an appropriate time, gradually advancing the commercialization of manned operations. To date, a total of 19 civil unmanned aircraft models from 10 domestic companies have been awarded Type Certificates in China. Among these, DJI has received 9 certificates, covering various application fields including emergency response, agriculture, and transport, with multi-rotor agricultural drone models being the majority. The E40H is the world's first medium-sized composite wing drone to receive a TC, and it is also the world's first hybrid-powered drone to be certified.
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