Hua Ying Aviation HE-1A First Production Aircraft Rolls Off the Line in Weinan, Ton-Class Commercial Unmanned Transport Aircraft Enters Mass Production

On the morning of October 29, the first production aircraft of Huaying Aviation's HE-1A commercial unmanned aerial transport system rolled off the final assembly line at the Weinan final assembly base. Wang Hao, Secretary of the CPC Weinan Municipal Committee, Wang Xin, Mayor of the Weinan Municipal People's Government, Wu Renhua, Executive General Manager of Shenzhen Capital Group, and Gong Shengping, Chairman of Huaying Aviation, jointly unveiled the new aircraft. At the ceremony, the company's Chief Scientist Dong Pengsheng delivered a report on the project's R&D and progress, introducing the HE-1A's development progress, mass production capability and follow-on model plans. The rollout of this first production aircraft marks the transition of China's ton-class commercial unmanned transport aircraft from a development model to mass production.

The first aircraft on the production line: the HE-1A enters mass production

The HE-1A has a maximum takeoff weight of 4 tons, a payload of 2 tons and a payload fraction greater than 50%, and is aimed at intercity trunk and regional transport scenarios. The HE-1A model rolled out this time is the first production aircraft to complete final assembly on the production line.

In September 2024, the HE-1 platform demonstrator completed its maiden flight, validating the technical route; the production aircraft rolled out this time validates mass production capability. The design state has been frozen, the process route has been proven, and tooling, inspection procedures and supply chain coordination are in place, giving same-type aircraft production a replicable baseline. The rollout of the first production aircraft marks the HE-1A's transition from a development model to a mass-produced product, entering the flight test, certification and delivery phase.

The HE-1A's goal is to move tons of cargo from one city to another while meeting commercial operating requirements in terms of timeliness, safety and economy. The company believes that the key constraint on low-altitude transport is payload capacity, not flight itself.

Mass production and scaled delivery are the prerequisites for whether this goal can be realized. The significance of the HE-1A lies not only in one aircraft rolling off the line, but also in ton-class transport capacity acquiring industrialized supply capability for the first time.

Next steps: real aircraft on display, maiden flight, certification

The aircraft will appear in real-aircraft form at the Zhuhai Airshow in December, is scheduled to complete its maiden flight by the end of the year, and aims to obtain the type certificate by the end of 2027.

Three levels of significance: Shaanxi, the nation, the entire industry

For Shaanxi, this is an extension of the industrial chain. Shaanxi has deep accumulated experience in the design and manufacture of ton-class aircraft, but this accumulation was previously concentrated mainly in manned aircraft and research trial production. With the HE-1A completing final assembly and rollout of its first production aircraft in Weinan, a ton-class large unmanned transport aircraft has entered mass production in Shaanxi for the first time, and the full chain of forward design, airworthiness certification and mass production has also been connected through to the unmanned transport segment within the province for the first time. The structural parts, composites, airborne systems and final assembly supporting systems that have landed with the final assembly base are pushing Weinan's industrial form from a undertaking location toward an origin of complete aircraft.

For the nation, this fills a gap in the transport capacity structure. At the ton-class payload level, there is no precedent for certification in China. Trunk and regional air transport previously lacked a transport platform that could be measured in tons; with the HE-1A taking the lead in transitioning to mass production, this means that engineering and industrialization at this level are being advanced first by a domestic company, and trunk and regional transport thus gains a ton-class option.

For the entire industry, this establishes a benchmark. Ton-class unmanned transport is still in a period of standard and landscape formation globally, with product forms and airworthiness paths not yet settled and domestic and foreign companies starting at similar times. The HE-1A taking the lead in acquiring mass production capability means that in the industrialization process at this level, Chinese companies are not only starting in sync but have also completed the mass production link first.

Capacity, orders, airworthiness and capital: four supports for mass production capability

In terms of capacity, the Weinan final assembly base has a plant area of 50,000 square meters, with three production lines laid out, and an annual output of more than 100 aircraft once all reach full production. Structural parts, composites, airborne systems and final assembly supporting systems are accordingly gathering in Weinan, and Shaanxi's accumulation in ton-class aircraft manufacturing thus extends to the unmanned transport segment.

In terms of orders, a cumulative total of 110 aircraft have been contracted.

In terms of airworthiness, the HE-1A type certificate (TC) application was accepted by the Northwest Regional Administration of the Civil Aviation Administration of China in March 2026. Currently, few large unmanned transport aircraft development companies in China have entered this certification procedure, and the company plans to complete certification by the end of 2027. At the ton-class payload level, there is no precedent for certification in China, and the HE-1A is the first to transition to mass production.

In terms of capital, the company has completed a 530 million yuan Series A financing round. On the technical foundation, the company was founded in July 2022, and its core team has participated in the development of national key models such as the Y-20 and C919, adhering to forward design and independently completing the entire chain from aerodynamic layout and structural solutions to final assembly processes; in terms of industrial organization, it has formed a layout of "overall design in Xi'an, final assembly and rollout in Weinan, supporting systems nationwide, and application scenarios in customers' hands."

Along with this project milestone, the company will also launch a new round of financing.

Follow-on models: HE-2 and HE550

The event also introduced the progress arrangements for follow-on models. The HE-2 is an airlift unmanned transport aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 5 tons and a payload of 2-2.5 tons; its rear-drop design can meet special needs and transport delivery to areas without landing conditions, adapting to military and emergency scenario requirements; its fuselage uses composite thermoplastic forming technology, which reduces structural weight while greatly lowering production and procurement costs, giving it a significant advantage in economy. This model is expected to complete development this year and achieve its maiden flight in 2027.

The HE550 is a large compound-wing eVTOL using a hybrid oil-electric power system, with a takeoff weight in the 2-ton class, a payload of no less than 500 kilograms, and vertical takeoff and landing capability. This model focuses on intercity low-altitude logistics scenarios, can adapt to medium- and long-distance, heavy-payload cargo scenarios, efficiently completes short- and medium-range logistics transport and rapid delivery of emergency supplies, and has strong environmental adaptability and mission reliability. The three product lines complement each other in takeoff and landing conditions and transport delivery methods, covering transport needs more completely.

In the future, Huaying Aviation will continue to adhere to the path of independent innovation, continuously refine its products, consolidate mass production and delivery capability, and strengthen its leading advantage in China's large-tonnage heavy-payload drones, so that China's unmanned transport aircraft with heavy payload, long endurance and low cost can fly across the country and go global, contributing Shaanxi's strength to the high-quality development of China's low-altitude economy.