Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – On February 1, 2026, the Rainbow YH-1000S – the world's first hybrid-powered unmanned transport aircraft, developed by the 11th Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, successfully completed its maiden flight in Liangping, Chongqing.
This model is an upgraded version of the Rainbow YH-1000 unmanned transport aircraft, which first flew in May 2025. It was rapidly developed and launched to meet the needs of global market customers. The Rainbow YH-1000S, which made its maiden flight, is equipped with a high-power hybrid powertrain jointly developed with leading new energy vehicle companies. This significantly shortens takeoff and landing distances and achieves a substantial increase in payload and range, successfully completing comprehensive verification of its flight performance.
Notably, the successful development of this model represents the first cross-industry integration and innovation of core technologies between China's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and automotive industries. By deeply sharing supply chain resources and implementing a modular production model, the R&D team effectively reduced the cost of UAV R&D and manufacturing, becoming a benchmark example of promoting the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation in the new low-altitude economy unmanned logistics sector.
As a large unmanned transport aircraft designed by the 11th Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation to meet airworthiness standards, the Rainbow YH-1000S can be widely used in many fields such as international logistics transportation, emergency rescue and disaster reduction, artificial weather modification, marine monitoring, and maritime supervision, and has significant market value and social application potential.
