China’s V2000CG eVTOL CarryAll hauled fresh fruit and medical kits 150 km over open water
China has completed what it calls the world’s first offshore oil-platform cargo mission by a two-ton electric vertical-takeoff-and-landing aircraft.
The unmanned V2000CG CarryAll took off from the coastal city of Shenzhen on Sunday, carried fresh fruit and emergency medical supplies across open water for 58 minutes, and touched down 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) away on a China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) platform.
Built by Shanghai-based Autoflight, the all-electric aircraft combines helicopter-style vertical lift with the efficient cruise of a fixed-wing plane. CarryAll received flight clearance recently, in June 2025.
It can haul 400 kilograms (880 pounds) at roughly 124 miles per hour and cover up to 124 miles on a single charge, matching the demands of many offshore energy routes while producing zero in-flight emissions.
“The flight integrates cutting-edge aviation technology with the real demands of offshore operations,” said Ren Yongyi, who oversees logistics coordination at CNOOC’s Shenzhen branch. In an interview with China Global Television Network (CTGN), Ren called it a “full-chain” model that links aircraft development, flight operations, and real-world use cases, adding that electric drones promise “lower operating costs, faster response, and the ability to land in confined spaces.”
China’s offshore rigs have long relied on supply vessels that can spend more than 10 hours on a single round-trip. Helicopters shorten that window, but their fuel, maintenance, and charter fees add steep costs. CNOOC says the CarryAll trims the transit to about an hour, offering a smoother ride than rotorcraft and avoiding weather-related issues that can delay boats.
Shenzhen’s municipal government has embraced the so-called “low-altitude economy,” opening roughly 300 drone logistics routes that link business parks, hospitals, and factories.
The V2000CG’s July 22 handover to a buyer in Kunshan marked the first delivery of a fully certified large eVTOL in China, highlighting Beijing’s push to commercialize aerial cargo and passenger services at scale.
Heavy-lift drone logistics is a global race
China’s milestone lands amid a flurry of international progress. Germany’s eight-rotor Wingcopter platform, clocked at 55 miles per hour, has already logged 130,000 flight-kilometers delivering temperature-controlled blood and other medical supplies in Japan and Germany, about (5,070 pounds) 2,300 kilograms in total, according to reports.
Recently, in the United States, California-based MightyFly demonstrated its Cento autonomous cargo drone for the U.S. Air Force under an AFWERX Small Business Innovation Research contract. The test showed the aircraft autonomously loading, balancing, and unloading payloads, capabilities aimed at battlefield resupply and disaster response.
Taken together, the advances point to a logistics sector on the verge of rapid change. Long-haul trucking and maritime shuttles remain indispensable for bulk freight, but heavy-lift eVTOLs offer a new middle ground. They are faster than ships, cheaper and cleaner than helicopters, and can reach small landing pads or parking-lot “vertiports” that fixed-wing aircraft cannot.
The Shenzhen-to-rig mission is expected to become regular sorties carrying maintenance parts, food, and medical kits. At the same time, the sale of the first fully certified V2000CG CarryAll signals the beginning of commercial deployment for large-scale eVTOL operations in real-world logistics environments.
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