​Industry Insight | Anchorage Delivery, Cross-Sea Logistics, Airworthiness Maiden Flight — Low-Altitude Economy Enters Intensive Phase of Scenario Implementation

Qingdao completed the trial operation of northern China’s first UAV anchorage vessel supply service. The 2026 International Low-Altitude Economy Expo opened in Shanghai with 452 exhibitors and intended transaction value exceeding USD 100 million. The first Guangxi-Hainan cross-sea low-altitude logistics route completed a successful test flight, with a 460-kilometer range delivering a 75% efficiency improvement. TP200, China’s first ton-class UAV developed in compliance with airworthiness requirements, completed its maiden flight in Shandong, with full-load endurance exceeding 24 hours. The low-altitude economy has fully transitioned from "technology verification" to "scenario implementation".

1. Qingdao Completes Trial Operation of Northern China’s First UAV Anchorage Vessel Supply Service

Recently, Qingdao West Coast New Area completed the maiden trial flight of northern China’s first UAV anchorage vessel supply service. An RY-M90 multi-rotor UAV carrying a customs supervision box crossed 10 kilometers of sea surface and precisely arrived at Qianhai Anchorage No. 2 after 13 minutes, completing aerial delivery to the international voyage vessel "Xindaqiang".

UAV anchorage vessel supply refers to a new maritime supply model that utilizes heavy-lift UAVs to deliver materials from shore-based bases to vessels at anchorage, replacing traditional small boat transshipment. This operation enabled the front-loading of part of the inspection and quarantine verification procedures for international voyage vessels calling at port. Vessels can complete inspection and quarantine during their inbound approach and promptly commence operations upon berthing. This marks the first practical application nationwide combining UAV delivery with intelligent telecommunication quarantine equipment linkage.

According to enterprise estimates, UAV anchorage vessel supply can reduce single-operation costs by nearly 75% and improve response speed by 80%. The completion of this trial flight marks the further expansion of Qingdao’s low-altitude application scenarios into the maritime and marine sector.

2. 2026 International Low-Altitude Economy Expo Opens, 452 Enterprises Make Centralized Appearance

On July 22, the 2026 International Low-Altitude Economy Expo opened at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai). Under the theme "Riding the New Momentum of Low-Altitude, Opening a New Chapter of the Economy", the expo covers a total exhibition area of 60,000 square meters, gathering 452 domestic and international exhibitors, displaying 570 emerging aircraft, and hosting over 80 professional forums and diverse public interactive activities concurrently.

The expo fully integrates the entire industrial chain of "complete aircraft manufacturing — core supporting components — infrastructure safety — industrial services", with participants covering diverse entities including central and state-owned enterprise teams, foreign-funded enterprises, listed companies and leading domestic startups. AVIC Civil Aircraft Avionics centrally released 14 self-developed core products and concluded over 10 strategic cooperation signings and product deliveries.

On-site order results emerged intensively. Volant Aero signed 260 domestic and international purchase orders on site, including 60 from an Indonesian helicopter operator and 200 from a domestic financial leasing company, and announced the establishment of a 300-million-yuan industrial fund. AutoFlight signed a low-altitude transportation cooperation framework agreement with SF Express. TCab Tech’s global headquarters and manufacturing base settled in Minhang. Lanyu Aviation added 230 new aircraft purchase orders. SKYLA globally launched its next-generation tiltrotor eVTOL V30 and signed pre-sale orders for nearly 100 units with five organizations.

Volocopter’s new AE200 prototype also made its debut simultaneously, with targeted optimization specifically for low-altitude cultural tourism scenarios, achieving comprehensive upgrades in product performance, exterior design, riding experience and scenario adaptability. According to reports, Volocopter’s eVTOL product AE200-100 has entered the final sprint phase of airworthiness certification and is expected to become China’s first passenger-carrying eVTOL to enter commercial operation after certification between late 2026 and 2027.

During the four-day exhibition, 45 purchasers from over 20 countries and 70 domestic exhibitors completed 296 rounds of precise matchmaking, with intended transaction value exceeding USD 100 million.

3. First Guangxi-Hainan Cross-Sea Low-Altitude Logistics Route Successfully Tested

On the evening of July 24, the first Guangxi-Hainan cross-sea low-altitude logistics route completed its test flight. An FP-98 large fixed-wing UAV carrying high-value goods from Hainan took off from Xinglong, Wanning, crossed the Qiongzhou Strait, and landed at Yulin Fumian Airport. The route spans 460 kilometers with an in-flight time of 2 hours and 48 minutes, representing a 75% improvement in operational efficiency compared to traditional land transportation.

This is the first cross-provincial low-altitude logistics route following Hainan’s whole-island customs closure operation, marking the official launch of the "Guangxi-Hainan Low-Altitude Smart Logistics Corridor" pilot project. According to route planning, the next phase will extend westward to Guizhou and Yunnan, and northward to connect with the Chengdu-Chongqing region, ultimately forming a western land-sea new channel low-altitude logistics air corridor that traverses western China and connects with ASEAN.

4. TP200, China’s First Ton-Class UAV Developed to Airworthiness Standards, Successfully Completes Maiden Flight

On July 26, TP200, China’s first multi-functional long-endurance UAV developed in compliance with airworthiness requirements, completed its maiden flight in Yantai, Shandong Province. Independently developed by Yitong UAV, the TP200 maintained stable and controllable attitude during the test flight, with climb altitude, cruise speed and other parameters all meeting design specifications.

The TP200 adopts a high-aspect-ratio high-wing configuration, purpose-built for long-endurance high-altitude operations. Its full-load endurance exceeds 24 hours, with a service ceiling of 7,000 meters, a maximum cruise speed of 200 kilometers per hour, a maximum range of 3,000 kilometers, and a short takeoff and landing capability of 300 meters. It can take off from unpaved runways, meeting operational requirements in mountainous areas, islands and other simplified site conditions. The entire aircraft utilizes a domestically produced supply chain, with core hardware and software achieving technological autonomy and controllability.

The most innovative highlight of the TP200 is its modular multi-configuration design, enabling rapid payload replacement and flexible operational mode switching according to mission requirements. Leveraging its ultra-long endurance and highly expandable platform advantages, the TP200 can undertake diverse operational tasks including maritime patrol, weather modification, emergency disaster relief material delivery, forest and grassland fire prevention patrols, and land surveying and mapping.

The successful maiden flight of the TP200 marks a new breakthrough for Shandong Province in the field of large UAVs.

Observation & Outlook

The four updates covered in this issue of Industry Insight point to simultaneous breakthroughs of the low-altitude economy across four critical dimensions: maritime applications, cross-regional logistics, equipment manufacturing and airworthiness certification.

Qingdao’s anchorage vessel supply service has validated the commercial implementation of low-altitude economy in the maritime sector — with 75% cost reduction per operation and 80% faster response speed, the integrated model of "UAV + intelligent telecommunication quarantine" provides a new pathway for improving port clearance efficiency.

The International Low-Altitude Economy Expo demonstrates the industry’s scale and internationalization — 452 enterprises, 570 aircraft, and intended transaction value exceeding USD 100 million. Volant Aero’s 260 orders, the debut of Volocopter’s AE200 prototype, and the signing between AutoFlight and SF Express mark the industry’s comprehensive transition from "technology verification" to the second half of "large-scale commercial operation".

The Guangxi-Hainan cross-sea logistics route has opened up the practical channel for cross-provincial low-altitude logistics — 460 kilometers, 2 hours 48 minutes, 75% efficiency improvement, low-altitude logistics is extending from "last-mile delivery" to "cross-provincial trunk lines".

The maiden flight of the TP200 UAV represents the boundary of China’s equipment autonomy capabilities — 24-hour endurance, 7,000-meter ceiling, 3,000-kilometer range, full-industry-chain domestic production, domestic large UAVs are evolving from "being able to fly" toward "being operationally viable".

From oceans to skies, from intra-provincial to cross-provincial, from technology verification to mass production, the "scenario implementation" of the low-altitude economy is accelerating.

The richer the scenarios, the more complete the commercial closed loop; the more mature the equipment, the more tangible the industrial implementation; the smoother the logistics channels, the broader the radiation range of aviation economic zones. From "technology verification" to "scenario implementation", the low-altitude economy’s "15th Five-Year Plan" is rapidly taking shape.

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