As reported by the Chinese news agency Xinhua, on December 28, 2025, the world’s first 6-ton tiltrotor, named Lanying R6000, made an initial flight in Deyang city, Sichuan province.
What is a tiltrotor aircraft?
A tiltrotor is an unmanned aerial vehicle that ascends and lands like a helicopter, vertically, but behaves like an airplane in flight, relying on a fixed wing.
Tiltrotor designs can vary in fuselage and engine configuration. A type of tiltrotor whose engines can rotate 90 degrees in the vertical plane, enabling vertical takeoff and landing, is called a tiltrotor.
The world’s largest tiltrotor can reach a cruising speed of 550 kilometers per hour—roughly double that of helicopters. The maximum payload of the Lanying R6000 is two tons, which is significantly more than helicopters of the same class. The maximum flight range of the tiltrotor is 4 thousand kilometers, four times greater than helicopters, and this vehicle is capable of ascending to an altitude of up to 7620 meters (twice as high as a helicopter).
The Lanying R6000, developed by the Chinese firm United Aircraft, features a unique structure, according to Global Times. Specifically, it can transition very smoothly between vertical takeoff and landing modes and high-speed horizontal flight.
Furthermore, when parked, the aircraft’s wings and rotors can fold and stow, reducing its external dimensions and making it convenient for storage in confined areas.
It is anticipated that Lanying R6000 tiltrotors will be utilized for direct air transport between cities, offshore platforms, and mountainous regions, cutting down travel time and distance, while also fostering the creation of regional “door-to-door” transit networks.
Additionally, enormous drones of this type are planned for deployment in emergency medical aid, firefighting, police patrolling, and large-scale disaster relief operations, as they can ensure rapid and precise delivery of personnel and cargo.
The company also believes that such flying machines open up new prospects for premium private tourism and aerial excursions.
We are also aware of other examples of craft whose appearance contradicted the common saying that ugly airplanes do not fly. However, the flights of those machines were brief.
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