EHang obtains EH216-S eVTOL type certification from CAAC

As of Oct. 13, EHang Holdings Ltd.’s (Gaungzhou, China) EH216-S electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) system has officially obtained type certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The certification demonstrates that the EH216-S fully complies with CAAC’s safety standards and airworthiness requirements, and that the aircraft is qualified for conducting passenger-carrying UAV commercial operations. 

Since CAAC formally accepted EHang’s EH216-S TC application in January 2021, the EHang team has worked closely with CAAC and its expert team toward validating and verifying the aircraft’s cutting-edge technologies. After more than 1,000 days and nights, the company says it has overcame all kinds of difficulties and challenges to successfully complete all type certification objectives, proving that EHang is capable of independently designing, developing and manufacturing mature unmanned eVTOL products.

The EH216-S is said to have significant differences from conventional aircraft in key areas including technical architecture, configuration, performance, functionality, operational mode and flight environment. 

During the validation process, the EH216-S underwent extensive laboratory, ground and flight tests at professional aviation laboratories and test sites across multiple locations in China. These tests included but were not limited to main material performance, structural strength, flame resistance, crashworthiness, gas toxicity, environmental conditions of equipment and systems, software simulation, data links, ground control stations, overall system functionality, electromagnetic compatibility, flight performance and flight stability characteristics. The validation process scrutinized components, equipment, and the entire aircraft for prefabricated defects, faults and interferences during both laboratory experiments and flight trials. With that, the safety, airworthiness, performance, functionality, usability and reliability of the EH216-S have been thoroughly and rigorously validated through more than 500 specific test items, more than 40,000 test flights for adjustments and formal conformity validation tests encompassing 65 major categories and over 450 individual test items. 

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to CAAC, the expert team and all EHang employees for their unwavering dedication,” Huazhi Hu, founder, chairman and CEO of EHang, remarks. “Embracing the type certification as our springboard, we will launch commercial operations of the EH216-S unmanned eVTOLs, prioritizing safety above all. This will enable us to steadily progress towards our strategic goal to be a UAM [urban air mobility] platform operator, and commit to our mission to enable safe, autonomous and eco-friendly air mobility accessible to everyone.”

For related content, read:

• “EHang completes eVTOL flight testing, preps for type certification”
• “Horizon Aircraft shifts to seven-seat hybrid electric eVTOL concept”