Newshot COMAC's 10-Ton Electric Commercial Aircraft CE-25A Completes Successful Manned First Flight
IT Home, November 14 news — according to a report today by CCTV News, the 10-ton electric commercial aircraft CE-25A developed by COMAC has completed its first manned intelligent flight in Binzhou, Shandong.
The aircraft carried 2 pilots and 1 flight test engineer on board that day. During the flight, the aircraft was in normal condition and all indicators met expectations. This marks another milestone in the development process following the completion of the aircraft's unmanned intelligent first flight on February 2, 2026.
The CE-25A is COMAC's first electric commercial aircraft, positioned for intercity commercial flight. It can carry 19 passengers, with a maximum takeoff weight of 10 tons, a cruise speed of 300 km/h, a cruise altitude of 2,400 meters, and a range of 400 kilometers.
The core highlight of this flight lies in the combination of "manned piloting" and "intelligent flight." The previous 19 verification flights were all unmanned autonomous flights. Manned intelligent flight means that after the pilot enters the cockpit, the aircraft can still rely on autonomous systems to complete flight missions, while the pilot has in-the-loop monitoring and intervention capabilities. From the perspective of engineering verification, this is closer to the actual human-machine collaboration scenario of "pilot + intelligent system" in future commercial operations than a purely unmanned first flight.
In terms of powertrain architecture, the CE-25A adopts an over-wing distributed electric ducted fan propulsion system (IT Home note: a distributed electric ducted fan propulsion system distributes multiple lower-power electric ducted fans across the wings, replacing a few high-power engines, and leverages the divisible power characteristics of electric motors to improve fault tolerance and aerodynamic efficiency). Public information shows that the CE-25A has 5 electric ducted fans arranged on each of the left and right wings, totaling 10, integrated with the wings. This layout enables the aircraft to maintain controllable flight when some propulsion units fail, while also reducing the impact of single-point failures on overall aircraft safety.
The CE-25A was jointly developed by COMAC together with CATL, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and others. In July 2023, CATL, COMAC, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University Enterprise Development Group jointly established COMAC Times (Shanghai) Aviation Co., Ltd., with CATL and COMAC each holding 47% stakes, focusing on the research and development of aviation electric propulsion systems.
The CE-25A is a 19-seat all-electric distributed propulsion demonstrator advanced by COMAC Times. Public information mentions that the aircraft is equipped with a condensed matter battery with an energy density of 500 Wh/kg, with a designed range in the 400 to 500 kilometer range. The significance of the condensed matter battery here is not simply pursuing energy density figures, but rather that it must simultaneously meet aviation-grade thermal runaway protection and cycle life requirements, which differs markedly from the verification logic of automotive-grade batteries.
Before the CE-25A's manned flight, the aircraft completed ground taxiing tests at the end of October 2026, moving from the scaled model and drawing stage into the actual aircraft verification phase. To date, the CE-25A has cumulatively conducted 19 unmanned autonomous flight verifications, and the Civil Aviation Administration of China has accepted the aircraft's type certificate application. The type certificate is the prerequisite threshold for electric commercial aircraft to move toward commercial passenger operations. Acceptance of the application means that the airworthiness certification procedure has officially begun, but there is still a large amount of compliance verification testing and review work needed before certification and entry into commercial operation.
Related Articles
- CATL releases Chocolate Battery Steward, expected to build 6,000 battery swap stations covering 297 cities by 2027
- Civil Aviation University of China signs agreement with CATL: jointly building an aviation battery airworthiness laboratory and jointly cultivating talent in the aviation field
- CATL bets on battery swap network to promote sodium batteries, to build 3,000 battery swap stations nationwide by the end of the year
- C909 firefighting aircraft makes its debut at a national-level forest fire combat exercise
- Dongfeng Nissan NX7 global premiere scheduled for November 13, pre-sales about to begin
- IM LS8 NEO pure electric version launched: standard equipped with full line-control Lingxi chassis, CATL battery, benefit price starting at 239,800 yuan