Tracking developments from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) can be challenging due to its extensive network of subsidiaries and affiliates.
While major flagship programs, such as the AG000 Kunlong amphibious aircraft, regularly attract media attention, a significant portion of AVIC’s work occurs behind the scenes, as seen with the the emergence of a tilt-rotor aircraft —coinciding with Harbin AVIC’s 77th anniversary.
Having covered China’s aviation landscape for over a decade—and written numerous reports for both government and industry—one recurring theme is the consistent framing of technical milestones as national achievements, a pattern particularly prevalent in AVIC communications.
Interpreting these updates might necessitate grasping China’s techno-patriotic framing, in which technical achievements are closely linked with cultural and political narratives.
Many AVIC updates typify this approach, deploying vivid, culturally rooted metaphors to signal contributions to national industrial ambitions.
For example, on February 19, AVIC Helicopter Research Institute published an article titled “硬核突围！eVTOL技术再进一步” (“Hardcore Breakthrough! eVTOL Technology Advances Further”).
It includes a photo of the AG-EX eVTOL prototype with the caption 披荆斩棘，成果献给祖国 (“To cut through thorns and brambles, and dedicate the fruits of labor to the motherland”) and highlights progress in eVTOL rotor technology, though the AG-EX was not explicitly named.
The aforementioned article illustrates how China’s aviation companies often intertwine technical achievements with symbolic language.
Engineers’ labor, framed with poetic imagery and patriotic rhetoric—such as “披星戴月” (“toiling day and night”) or “攻坚战场” (“battling critical technological frontiers”)—conveys both the intensity of work and broader national ambition.
Much like the Western “moonshot,” these narratives cast technical hurdles as collective, large-scale missions requiring urgent focus.
Phrases like “将成果献给祖国” (“dedicating achievements to the motherland”) or overcoming “重重难题” (“layers of challenges”) reflect industry pride, self-sacrifice, and alignment with state priorities, revealing insights into technological progress and corporate ethos.
Where readers might perceive a dry account of overtime work, the original text imbues the engineers’ labor with lyrical resolve—a blend of poetic imagery and patriotic grit that can get lost in translation.
Confucian Influence: Leadership and Moral Authority
In addition to techno-patriotic framing, Confucian principles frequently shape AVIC’s internal narratives. Leadership and team conduct are often portrayed through a Confucian-socialist hybrid lens, combining traditional moral authority with collective, state-aligned goals.
This can be seen in the example of Huang Guoke (黄国科), the eVTOL Rotor Project Leader at AVIC Helicopter Research Institute’s Rotor Transmission Department, who plays a central figure in the article.
He is portrayed as both a technical authority and a symbolic figure—leading the team through hands-on problem-solving while embodying the state-aligned ethos of “航空报国” (“aviation serves the nation”).
Key technical milestones achieved under his guidance, as highlighted by the article, include the development of the first eVTOL rotor system in under a year— “transforming the design from blueprint to reality” —and a breakthrough in the tilt actuation system, allowing seamless transitions between helicopter hover mode and fixed-wing forward flight.
If we decode the article, Huang’s leadership illustrates how AVIC embeds Confucian and socialist principles into its internal narratives, showing how technical achievements are framed within broader organizational and cultural values.
Let’s decode some examples.
1. Leadership & Team Dynamics – Leading by Example
Chinese Reference: “黄国科率先垂范，每日早早来到办公室仔细检查前一天的工作进度。”
English Translation: “Huang Guoke led by example, arriving early at the office every day to meticulously review the previous day’s progress.”
Interpretation:
Confucian-Socialist Hybrid: Huang embodies the Confucian principle of 以身作则 (leading by example) and the socialist ideal of 集体主义 (collectivism). His actions reflect both traditional moral authority and modern state-driven goals.
Moral Authority: Huang’s disciplined routine symbolizes the broader expectation of self-sacrifice for national progress. His dedication is framed as a microcosm of the collective effort required to achieve China’s technological ambitions.
2. Team Unity
Chinese Reference: “团队成员也被他的干劲所感染，大家拧成一股绳，心往一处想，劲往一处使。”
English Translation: “The team members were also inspired by his drive, uniting as one, thinking and working together toward a common goal.”
Interpretation:
Collectivist Ethos: The metaphor 拧成一股绳 (twisting into a single rope) emphasizes unity, a hallmark of socialist rhetoric. Individual efforts are meaningful only when integrated into the collective fabric.
Shared Struggle: The text frames engineering challenges as a collective endeavor, mirroring the broader narrative of China’s rise through unified effort. This aligns with the socialist ideal that individual success is inseparable from the success of the nation.
3. Struggle and Triumph – Collective Struggle
Chinese Reference: “披星戴月，攻克重重难题。”
English Translation: “Working tirelessly day and night, overcoming numerous challenges.”
Interpretation:
Allegory of National Struggle: The phrase 披星戴月 (working under the stars and moon) evokes China’s historical narrative of perseverance, from the Long March to the modernization era. It frames technological progress as a continuation of the nation’s collective struggle against adversity.
Sacrifice for the Nation: The text positions scientific labor as a form of patriotic duty, akin to military service, where personal sacrifices are made for the greater good of the nation.
Triumph as National Contribution
Chinese Reference: “争取早日突破eVTOL旋翼倾转技术，就算是我们给祖国最大的庆生礼物吧！”
English Translation: “Strive to break through the eVTOL rotor tilt technology as soon as possible, and consider it our greatest birthday gift to the motherland!
Interpretation:
Patriotic Symbolism: The direct linkage of technological success to National Day (October 1st) transforms the breakthrough into a symbolic act of patriotism. The phrase 庆生礼物 (birthday gift) elevates the achievement from a technical milestone to a national celebration.
National Day Symbolism: By framing the tilt-system breakthrough as a gift to the nation, the text reinforces the idea that scientific advancements are not personal or institutional victories but contributions to the collective glory of China.
In essence, recognizing technical milestones embedded in both techno-patriotic and Confucian language is extremely helpful, since key achievements can easily be obscured amid culturally and rhetorically rich framing.
This is one of the reasons my newsletter is priced at a premium—while I leverage nearly 15 years of researching and writing on China’s civil aviation sector, compiling articles can require significant time + resources.
I am very grateful to those who support this work and hope this newsletter provides useful insights, helping readers navigate the complexities of China’s sector and understand technical milestones that may otherwise be overlooked by Western media or lost in cultural and rhetorical context.
To close, this report cuts through techno-patriotic narratives to examine recent developments in the AR-500 and AG600 aircraft programs.
Let’s get into it.
Author’s note — The article 硬核突围！eVTOL技术再进一步 is reproduced here.
I welcome feedback from all readers. Native Chinese speakers are especially encouraged to point out corrections or nuances, but insights from any reader are greatly appreciated.
AVIC Deploys Lightweight FMC for Uncrewed Helicopters
The AR-500B shipborne uncrewed helicopter recently participated in the 2025 Shandong (Weihai) Comprehensive Commercial and Fishing Vessel Maritime Emergency Drill, equipped with a newly developed Flight Management Computer (FMC) from the AVIC Computing Institute, the company said in a September 20 press release.
The FMC, developed in collaboration with the AVIC Helicopter Research and Development Institute, integrates multiple flight-critical functions into a compact, lightweight system.
AVIC said the system achieves precise control over altitude, heading, speed, position, and engine performance, while setting new standards for reliability and weight reduction.
Specifically, engineers designed a grid-based reliability model and a fault-tolerant system architecture that optimizes dual-redundancy circuits. They also integrated critical airborne sensor data with flight control functions, marking a first for uncrewed helicopter systems.
The FMC runs on the domestically developed Tianmai operating system, providing a fully self-supported software environment. The final product weighs under 2.3 kilograms, AVIC said.
The Computing Institute described overcoming key development challenges, including high integration and weight reduction. The team also researched more than 30 patents and technical references to develop a “multi-source data fusion + heterogeneous computing” system.
Atmospheric and satellite navigation data are processed on a single platform using general-purpose chips and field programmable gate array (FPGA) logic, allowing for redundancy management within a small footprint.
To meet weight and heat management targets, engineers adopted a three-dimensional stacked packaging structure and a phase-change heat dissipation system with a gradient micro-channel design.
AVIC said the system passed environmental adaptability tests after dozens of simulation iterations and continuous laboratory testing.
The FMC is now deployed on the AR500 series of UAVs and is suitable for medium and small uncrewed aircraft, small crewed aircraft, and general low-altitude aviation platforms.
AVIC stated that the system is part of its LinKontrol brand and reflects the Computing Institute’s focus on miniaturized, integrated, and cost-effective flight control solutions. More than 30 engineers contributed to the project, producing over 20 technical demonstration reports and securing four patents.
The company added that the team plans to continue aligning development with the growth of China’s low-altitude economy, with the goal of becoming a global supplier of airborne electronic system solutions.
Tianmai Operating System (天脉操作系统)
The Tianmai Operating System, also known as ACoreOS, is a safety-critical real-time operating system (RTOS) developed by AVIC Computing Institute for China’s aerospace and avionics sectors.
It has progressed through multiple generations—Tianmai 1, Tianmai 2, and Tianmai 3—to support different application requirements, ranging from basic flight control to integrated modular avionics (IMA) systems.
The system is designed to meet international aviation safety standards, including DO-178B/C (up to Level A) and ARINC 653, to ensure reliability in crewed and uncrewed aircraft, eVTOLs, and space vehicles.
Key features include partitioned scheduling for task isolation, support for multiple processor types (e.g., PowerPC, ARM), and compatibility with VxWorks to facilitate transitions from other RTOS.
Tianmai is integrated into AVIC’s LinKontrol avionics ecosystem and provides a domestically developed software platform for flight control and avionics applications, including those relevant to low-altitude economy and defense systems.
Separately, AVIC Computing Institute showcased over 100 products at the International Low-Altitude Economy Expo in late July 2025, under the theme “LinKontrol Airborne Electronics Supermarket.”
The display highlighted the LinKontrol low-altitude avionics technology system and included the launch of the LinKontrol Intelligent Computing Processing Platform.
Among the exhibits, the Smart Cockpit system drew attention as a key application of the new platform, AVIC said.
The smart cockpit is designed for eVTOL aircraft operating in urban low-altitude environments. It integrates real-time environmental perception, AI-assisted decision-making, and flight control functions.
According to the state-owned manufacturer, the system uses multi-sensor fusion, heterogeneous computing, and multi-modal interaction algorithms to manage tasks such as obstacle detection, path planning, and automatic route adjustments.
The cockpit system prioritizes low-altitude obstacles, including buildings and other aircraft, and supports autonomous return and dynamic mission adjustments.
It features AI-driven perception capable of identifying flying objects larger than 50 cm x 50 cm within 200 meters and tracking targets up to 2 kilometers away with over 90% recognition accuracy.
AVIC said the system completes the process from detection to avoidance solution generation in approximately 500 milliseconds.
The design also includes simplified controls, voice and gesture interaction, eye-tracking, and pilot physiological monitoring.
A fully in-house developed computing platform, chips, and real-time operating system (RTOS) provides redundancy and fault-tolerance to meet airworthiness standards.
The Computing Institute said the platform enables faster development cycles, greater system reliability, and cost control for eVTOL applications. Its full-chain in-house development supports rapid updates and maintenance while providing a secure and verifiable system for low-altitude aviation operations.
AVIC Highlights Hydrodynamic Tests Behind AG600 Amphibious Aircraft
AVIC Chengfei Commercial Aircraft Co. Ltd. gave a window into the development of the AG600 Kunlong on September 20, highlighting hydrodynamic tests conducted at the Special Vehicle Research Institute’s high-speed laboratory.
The AG600 program was launched to address a long-standing gap in large seaplane capability for missions such as firefighting, island supply, and maritime rescue.
At the same time, challenges inherent to water operations were recognized, including hydrodynamic resistance, the risk of spray affecting engines and control surfaces, and high impact loads during landings without conventional landing gear.
Laboratory Support
AVIC said the Special Vehicle Research Institute’s high-speed hydrodynamic laboratory has played a central role in addressing these issues.
The facility conducts both basic and applied research in hydrodynamics and is equipped with a high-speed towing tank, water ditching tank, and more than 40 specialized instruments, including wave makers, force and motion sensors, and data acquisition systems.
The tools allow scaled model testing and analysis to simulate a variety of operational conditions.
Acceleration on Water
To evaluate takeoff performance, researchers used a 1:10 scale model of the AG600 to measure draft, pitch, and pulling force in calm and wave conditions.
Tests validated the aircraft’s stepped-hull design, where the wetted surface decreases as speed increases, reducing resistance and allowing smoother acceleration during waterborne takeoff.
Spray management
Spray rails incorporated into the forward hull were tested to redirect and dissipate spray energy, reducing the amount reaching propellers and flaps.
Repeated trials allowed refinements to the spray rail design, improving protection of the aircraft’s structure.
Water impact loads
Landing simulations assessed forces under different speeds and angles.
A V-shaped hull cross-section was shown to lessen impact loads compared with a circular fuselage, providing shock absorption without adding unnecessary structural weight. The results also informed operational guidance for pilots to achieve safer water landings.
Flotation and watertight design
The AG600’s hull features watertight construction to ensure buoyancy and drainage ports to remove any seeped water during extended floating. Internal watertight compartments, inspired by traditional “Fu ship” bulkhead techniques, add further protection.
Calculations indicate that even if two adjacent compartments are compromised, the aircraft can remain afloat and stable.
Looking ahead
Hydrodynamic testing has been presented as a critical factor in enabling the AG600 to operate safely on water. AVIC stated that ongoing advances in hydrodynamic technology are expected to further expand the aircraft’s capabilities in future applications.