TCab Tech’s E20 Completes Tilt-Transition Flights
The E20 eVTOL program enters the engineering development phase.
Author’s Note: I’ve recently returned from Aero Asia 2025 in Zhuhai, co-organized by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and Zhuhai Airshow Group Co Ltd, and hosted by Messe Frankfurt (Zhuhai) Airshow Co Ltd—many thanks to the fantastic organizers for an exceptional event!
My show coverage is featured in Aviation International News and published in staggered installments; you can check my articles here.
Apologies for the delay in keeping up with China eVTOL news — as a one-woman show, it’s impossible to cover everything in real time when I’m on the road. That said, I’m working to catch readers up on all the latest developments, starting with TCab Tech.
I also plan to share my insights from Aero Asia—start planning your trip for the next one! It’s a fantastic, high-energy show with incredible global talent and impressively organized—simply brilliant!
Now, let’s get into it.
Video from December 3: TCab Tech
TCab Tech announced today that its full-scale E20 demonstrator has successfully completed a transition flight test campaign at Hengdian General Airport in Jinhua, Zhejiang.
The aircraft maintained stable control from vertical lift to wing-borne cruise, with telemetry data confirming design expectations, TCab said, marking the program’s entry into the engineering development phase.
The manufacturer added that the campaign validated the E20’s aerodynamic configuration across the full tilt corridor, confirmed the robustness of its flight control laws, and verified the performance of critical sensors and actuators under representative thermal and vibration conditions.
Hengdian General Airport, a Class A1 general airport and China’s first town-level general airport, provided comprehensive support, including superior airspace conditions, full facilities, and a professional test team, TCab said.
The base also serves as a civil aviation science education site, national defense demonstration point, and emergency rescue center.
According to TCab, the E20 program follows a rigorous systems engineering approach, advancing from sub-scale demonstrators in 2021 to the full-scale demonstrator, with incremental expansion of the flight envelope.
The company said it will continue expanding flight capabilities, advancing airworthiness certification, and strengthening international partnerships, aiming to deliver safe, efficient, and sustainable low-altitude mobility solutions globally.
The transition flight campaign follows the E20’s first crewed flight in October, in which TCab Tech’s founder and CEO, Huang Yongwei joined the chief test pilot in the cockpit.
It also comes as the eVTOL maker advances its commercial and strategic initiatives.
On November 6, TCab Tech secured a strategic agreement with ICBC Financial Leasing to supply 100 E20 eVTOL aircraft, combining “technology + finance” to accelerate domestic and international deployment.
The company also raised 300 million yuan (approximately USD $42 million) in a Series B++ funding round backed by Meridian Capital, PeakVest, and Pu Hua Capital.
Meanwhile, AVIC Xi’an Aeronautics Computing Technique Research Institute delivered the E20’s avionics and flight control systems, developed collaboratively with AVIC Kaitian and AVIC Qianshan, which incorporate intelligent perception, multi-source navigation, and redundant hardware-software architectures for stable operation across all flight phases.
November also saw TCab Tech launched its Air Silk Road Global Pilot Partnership Program at the 8th China International Import Expo, inking an MOU with Singapore’s NexAvian to explore ecosystem expansion, regulatory engagement, and investor relations in Southeast Asia.