China’s state-owned company AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group officially unveiled a new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned aerial vehicle, called the Yunying-25V, during the traditional CCTV TV Festival held in Yibin City in 2026.
Described as a “tail-sitter” drone, the model attracted attention with a design with a built-in propeller in the duct, very similar to the American V-BAT developed by Shield AI.
At the public presentation, ten machines performed a coordinated flight, one of the first large-scale demonstrations of the system. According to the manufacturer, Yunying was designed to operate in limited spaces and only needs an area of 3 x 3 meters for takeoff and landing. The concept enables rapid deployment from limited terrain or even from mobile platforms, supporting agile and flexible use in a variety of scenarios.
The drone has two versions: an electric one with a maximum take-off weight of 25 kg and a gasoline version of up to 31 kg. Both can operate up to an altitude of 4,000 meters. The stated maximum speed is 190 km/h for the electric version and 210 km/h for the fuel version. Payload varies by model between 3 and 4 kg. With a wingspan of 2.6 meters and an overall length of 1.96 meters, Yunying has been developed with a modular dismountable design, making it easy to transport in commercial vehicles and ready for flight in less than five minutes.
Classified as a hybrid VTOL platform, the Yunying combines vertical take-off with the cruising efficiency typical of fixed-wing aircraft. The system allows the transition from vertical to horizontal flight, allowing for higher speed than traditional multi-rotor drones. Equipped with electro-optical sensors for real-time image transmission, it can be used for urban surveillance, industrial inspection and emergency missions.
Although the company does not mention foreign competitors, the overall configuration directly refers to the V-BAT, indicating the growing global competition in the segment of compact drones designed for expeditionary operations and distributed surveillance.
Source: Defence Blog | Photo: X @tphuang | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
AVIC CAC showcases how easy it is for a person to control a bunch of drones for an airshow.
I’d imagine that 1000s of drones show would involve more than this. pic.twitter.com/FABF4zLcN0
— tphuang (@tphuang) February 17, 2026
