COMAC's electric aircraft completes first piloted test flight

China's first domestically developed 10-metric-ton-class electric commercial aircraft, the CE-25A, completed its first piloted test flight in Binzhou, Shandong province, on Saturday, marking another milestone in the development of electric aircraft for short-haul commercial travel.

The aircraft, developed by Commercial Aircraft Corp of China, carried two pilots and a flight test engineer. The test lasted 57 minutes and 46 seconds, including 16 minutes and 38 seconds in the air, during which the aircraft covered 60.4 kilometers.

The aircraft performed normally and all test results met expectations, COMAC said in a statement.

The CE-25A is COMAC's first electric commercial aircraft, designed to carry 19 passengers on commercial flights between cities. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 10 metric tons, a cruising speed of 300 kilometers per hour, a cruising altitude of 2,400 meters, and a range of 400 kilometers.

The aircraft is powered by a distributed electric ducted-fan propulsion system mounted on its wings.