Helicopters, drones, electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft, and high-power electric propulsion systems were among the low-altitude equipment and industry chain achievements showcased at the 2026 Vertical Take-Off and Landing Aircraft Conference held recently in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. This event offers a clear window into how the province's low-altitude economy is gaining momentum and soaring to new heights.
The foundation of this sector rests on years of industrial development. Jiangxi, one of China's key birthplaces of the aviation industry, has cities like Nanchang and Jingdezhen that have built robust industrial bases in trainer aircraft, helicopters, and general aviation. In recent years, the province integrated aviation into its "1269" action plan for upgrading key manufacturing industry chains, designating low-altitude manufacturing as a priority for future industries. Jingdezhen, often called the "Cradle of Chinese Helicopters," stands as a vital strategic piece in Jiangxi's low-altitude economy push. According to Chen Kelong, the city's Party secretary, Jingdezhen is one of the few domestic cities with full-spectrum helicopter research and development capabilities. With over half a century of deep focus on rotorcraft, it has established integrated capabilities for complete aircraft, supporting systems, and materials, plus a "full-license" industry chain spanning R&D, production, sales, training, and general aviation operations.
During the conference, the city unveiled key achievements including the construction progress of the Rotorcraft Manufacturing Innovation Center, plans for a national emerging industry demonstration base for low-altitude equipment, milestones from the aviation materials and components quality inspection center, and the new EPS300 high-power integrated electric propulsion system. "Standing in the exhibition hall, you can truly sense the thriving momentum of the low-altitude economy, and this kind of event holds tremendous significance for the industry," said Su Yangyang, deputy general manager of Jiangxi Tianyi Aviation Equipment Co., Ltd. He noted that the expo not only connects upstream and downstream channels, promoting supply-demand matching and accelerating technology transfer, but also showcases cutting-edge results, guides technological direction, drives industrial clustering, and attracts capital and talent.
The low-altitude economy features an extensive industry chain, covering complete aircraft manufacturing, power systems, aviation materials, testing and verification, airworthiness certification, and operational services. Organizing dispersed technologies, companies, and platforms has become essential for moving the industry from technical exploration to large-scale development. Deng Pingyu, director of the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, explained that the Rotorcraft Manufacturing Innovation Center is building public service platforms around technological innovation, prototyping, production, and operational services. The goal is to encourage interaction between demand and supply sides, pushing companies from isolated efforts toward collaborative innovation.
"For the rotorcraft sector, which is currently in a critical expansion phase, what is most needed is not breakthroughs in single technologies but a collaborative ecosystem," noted Yin Shijun, vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He pointed out that production compliance, supply chain support, and cost control are common industry-wide challenges right now. The sector must efficiently connect traditional rotorcraft manufacturing capabilities with emerging demands like new energy, advanced materials, and smart technologies.
Beyond collaborative innovation, safety is an essential component of the industry ecosystem. Xu Chunrong, director of the Department of Equipment Industry No. 2 under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated at the conference's opening that low-altitude equipment is rapidly advancing toward unmanned, electric, and intelligent operations, with safety serving as the foundation for orderly industrial growth. He emphasized the need to enhance product intrinsic safety, strengthen safety design, reliability assurance, testing, and inspection capabilities, while deepening the integration of AI and new energy technologies with aviation.
While industry and technology determine whether low-altitude aircraft can take to the skies, application scenarios determine where they fly. Xia Wenyong, vice governor of Jiangxi, said the province will expand scenarios such as low-altitude logistics, emergency rescue, and urban governance. Following a strategy of "cargo before passengers, long-distance before short-distance, and isolated before integrated operations," Jiangxi aims to move vertical take-off and landing aircraft from product development into commercial operation.
Walking through the exhibition halls, visitors see a lineup of complete aircraft including helicopters, drones, eVTOLs, and hybrid-powered rotorcraft, with many attendees examining designs and structures up close. The complete aircraft segment brings together the main aircraft types currently in the low-altitude arena, from traditional helicopters to new eVTOLs and hybrid rotorcraft, allowing different technological routes to showcase side by side.
Local regions across Jiangxi are actively linking manufacturing capabilities with application needs. Nanchang is pushing dual-chain development in low-altitude manufacturing and flight operations, aiming to exceed 160 low-altitude economy enterprises and reach a total scale of 35 billion yuan by 2027. Gongqingcheng is developing drone manufacturing through its A1-class general aviation airport and low-altitude economy industrial park. Ganzhou is advancing its national civilian drone flight test zone and airworthiness testing base. Jingdezhen is exploring applications in police patrols, tourism, emergency rescue, and urban inspections while beginning to lay out takeoff and landing points and flight support infrastructure.
Relying on its aviation manufacturing heritage, innovation platform aggregation, and expanding application scenarios, Jiangxi is advancing a full layout across low-altitude equipment R&D and manufacturing, testing and inspection, and operational services, ensuring seamless coordination among technology, enterprises, platforms, and real-world applications.