China’s hybrid autonomous transport aircraft, the YH-1000S, successfully completed its maiden flight on Sunday in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality.
The aircraft, developed by the China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (CAAA), is a new iteration designed for global markets.
The home market model, the YH-1000, flew for the first time in May 2025. Both are capable of performing incredibly short takeoffs and landings, allowing them to deploy cargo in remote and hard-to-access locations.
China’s hybrid YH-1000S takes flight
The YH-1000S is a large unmanned transport platform that China hopes will play an important role in international logistics delivery, as well as disaster and emergency response.
The aircraft can also be used for ocean monitoring, maritime supervision, and even weather modification, according to a report from CGTN.
The YH-1000S features a high-power hybrid propulsion system that significantly shortens the runway distance required for takeoffs and landings. This allows it to take off and land on secondary roads, compact dirt runways, and even grassy fields.
Float kits and ski kits can also be fitted to the aircraft’s underside to enable landings on water and snowy terrain.
The hybrid propulsion system also improves flight range and payload capacity, according to CGTN. The uncrewed aircraft has a range of 1,500 kilometers (932 miles) and a payload capacity of 1,200 kg (2,645 lbs).
The vehicle can load and unload cargo from its front and drop it from its underside, allowing for flexible logistics maneuvers and operations.
The YH-1000 aircraft is a multi-purpose cargo drone designed primarily for medium-altitude unmanned logistics operations. It has a twin-engine design and features proven avionics from the CH drone series, according to the ACCC.
China’s ‘thriving low-altitude economy’
The YH-1000 project started in June 2024. In January 2025, the autonomous aircraft successfully completed ground taxi tests.During its maiden flight in May, the YH-1000 delivered cargo weighing approximately 400 kilograms.
As The Global Times reports, the project team leader said at the time that «this verification flight demonstrates that the YH-1000 has the technical foundation for commercial operations.»
«Moving forward, we will continue with trial operations under policy permissions to inject new momentum into the thriving development of the low-altitude economy in western China,» they continued.
According to the People’s Daily Online, the YH-1000S boasts even shorter takeoff-landing distances than its predecessor model.
It also has an increased payload capacity and an extended flight range when compared to the other model.