The full-scale freight version eVTOL prototype has been assembled and rolled off the production line. "Lanxiao Aviation" has completed a new round of financing of tens of millions of yuan, with a cumulative financing of nearly 100 million yuan this year | Exclusive from 36Kr

Text | Liu Jingqiong

Editor | A Zhi

Cover Source | Provided by the enterprise

36Kr learned that Lanxiao Aviation Technology (Jinan) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Lanxiao Aviation"), a developer and manufacturer of extended-range tilt-rotor eVTOLs, recently announced the completion of a multi-million-yuan Angel +++ round of financing. This round of financing was led by Huacang Capital, and the old shareholder, Chuxin Capital, continued to increase its investment. The funds raised will be used for the R & D and mass production preparation of the freight version of the eVTOL product. Lansong Capital served as the long-term exclusive financial advisor.

At the end of February this year, 36Kr reported that Lanxiao Aviation had completed the Angel and Angel + rounds of financing. Including the Angel ++ round completed in May and this round, Lanxiao Aviation has raised nearly 100 million yuan in total this year. Institutions such as Lenovo Star, Gobi Partners, Chuxin Capital, and Haiyi Investment participated in the investment.

Founded in June 2024, Lanxiao Aviation focuses on the R & D and manufacturing of large extended-range tilt-rotor eVTOL aircraft. It is the first eVTOL aircraft manufacturer in China to adopt the hybrid oil-electric + partial tilt of 12 rotors technology route. It is committed to reshaping the air cargo market, building a high-efficiency low-altitude direct flight cargo network, and promoting the high-end, intelligent, and green development of the aviation manufacturing industry.

Lanxiao Aviation adopts a development strategy of "cargo first, passengers later". That is, it will first launch an extended-range freight version of the eVTOL to solve the range anxiety problem, and then launch an extended-range passenger version of the eVTOL at an appropriate time according to the market progress. It uses the "tilt-rotor" technology route to achieve a commercial layout in multiple scenarios.

The freight version of Lanxiao Aviation's eVTOL (LX - 1) can achieve a maximum takeoff weight of 2.5 tons, a maximum flight time of over 5 hours, a cruising range of 1,000 kilometers, and a maximum payload of nearly one ton. Wang Gang, the founder and CEO, introduced that the full-scale engineering prototype of LX - 1 was recently assembled and rolled off the production line.

The full-scale engineering prototype of LX - 1 after assembly and roll-off the production line

LX - 1 adopts a "6 + 6" configuration similar to that of Archer Midnight. There are a total of 12 rotors on the whole body. There are 6 three-bladed tilt rotors in the front of the fuselage and 6 two-bladed fixed lift rotors at the rear. Compared with the tilt configurations of 6 - rotor or 8 - rotor models on the market, the 12 - rotor model effectively shares the load by adding dedicated lift units, but it has more total parts and more complex control logic. At the same time, the 12 rotors also provide more sufficient power redundancy. Even if one set of the power system fails completely during the flight, the remaining power systems can work together to ensure the safe landing of LX - 1.

Lanxiao Aviation has a well - organized R & D team for "ton - class drones". The technical backbones all come from the core R & D team of the Rainbow series of drones of the former China Academy of Aerospace Aerodynamics (subsidiary listed drone company: Aerospace Rainbow). Wang Gang, the founder and CEO, has 17 years of experience in drone R & D and design. He once served as the chief designer of the Rainbow 4 drone, and the chief designer of the flight control systems of the Rainbow 3 drone and the Rainbow solar - powered drone. The team has profound accumulation and technical strength in many fields such as overall and aerodynamics, machinery and structure, flight control, and range extenders in the field of aircraft. It is understood that the flight control system, avionics system, and aviation - specific range extender of LX - 1 have all been independently developed by the Lanxiao Aviation team.

After completing the design of LX - 1, Lanxiao Aviation skipped the traditional scaled - down prototype stage and directly entered the full - scale prototype development stage. Wang Gang mentioned that "it took us less than a year from the start of the design of LX - 1 to the completion of the assembly and roll - off of the full - scale prototype. Now we have entered the flight test preparation stage. If the flight test is successful, Lanxiao will be the first company in the world to complete the flight test of an extended - range eVTOL above two tons."

Next, Lanxiao Aviation will also complete all - subject flight tests of LX - 1, start the first batch of application scenario pilots, and submit an airworthiness application early next year.

Evaluation from the investors

Cai Jingxian, the managing partner of Huacang Capital, said: eVTOL is the core vehicle in the low - altitude economy and has obvious advantages compared with fixed - wing aircraft and helicopters. Currently, most eVTOL companies focus on the pure - electric path, but the battery density remains a limiting bottleneck in the short term. Lanxiao Aviation independently developed the "extended - range + compound tilt - rotor" configuration and was the first to enter the air cargo market. It is expected to achieve large - scale implementation with a high range - to - payload ratio and low cost. The Lanxiao team has accumulated successful 0 - 1 experience in the development of large - tonnage military drones in the Rainbow series. It has solid overall design capabilities and a mature industrial system. Since its establishment, the company has made rapid progress, directly skipping the scaled - down prototype and moving on to the full - scale prototype development. Recently, the first model was successfully assembled and rolled off the production line. Huacang Capital is optimistic about and looks forward to Lanxiao Aviation growing into a benchmark enterprise in the low - altitude logistics field.