WeFly (Qifei Aviation Technology) WF-02 (technology demonstrator)

(Photo credit: WeFly)

WF-02 (technology demonstrator)
WeFly (Qifei Aviation Technology)
Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
(website unknown)

The information provided here is as accurate as possible; however, eVTOL information from China is sometimes sparse, incomplete or conflicting. China is promoting what they call the "low-altitude economy" — a new push for general aviation — which includes both crewed and uncrewed passenger and air cargo eVTOL aircraft.

Founded in January 2022 in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China, WeFly is a Chinese eVTOL startup and is in the design and production of very quiet on-demand long-range passenger and air cargo electric vertical takeoff and landing eVTOL passenger aircraft for advanced air mobility (AAM). The company expects the operating costs of their aircraft will be low. According to some websites, WeFly is a division of the Qifei Aviation Technology Co., Ltd. located in Suzhou, China. 

WeFly announced on April 28, 2022, that it had closed tens of millions of US dollars in angel funding from INCE Capital and Linear Capital which will be used primarily to build their engineering team, for product design and development of their prototype aircraft. Canglan Capital served as the exclusive financial adviser. In 2024, at the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition (November 12–17, 2024) in Zhuhai, China, WeFly announced they secured a ¥10B (USD $1.4B) agreement with Ruohang Industrial Group for 500 of these aircraft.

WF-02 uncrewed multicopter eVTOL technology demonstrator
The WF-02 is an uncrewed multicopter eVTOL technology demonstrator. The company has reported they have made over 50 hover tests with the aircraft. The technology demonstrator is being used to test components and validate air worthiness for the company's future passenger eVTOL lift-cruise long-range aircraft. 

The multicopter has 12 propellers, 12 electric motors and is powered by battery packs. The multicopter has an open-framed fuselage and has fixed skid landing gear. The company has not revealed the cruise speed of the aircraft or other flight data for the technology demonstrator. 

Specifications:

• Aircraft type: Uncrewed multicopter eVTOL technology demonstrator
• Piloting: Remote piloting
• Capacity: No passengers
• Cruise speed: Unknown
• Empty weight: Unknown
• Propellers: 12 propellers
• Electric motors: 12 electric motors
• Power source: Battery packs
• Fuselage: Aircraft aluminum (most likely)
• Landing gear: Fixed skid landing gear
• Safety features: Distributed Electric Propulsion (DEP) uses multiple propellers or electric ducted fans, each powered by electric motors, to increase safety through redundancy. If one or more components fail, the remaining ones can still ensure a safe landing. There are also redundancies of critical components in the sub-systems of the aircraft providing safety through redundancy. Having multiple redundant systems on any aircraft decreases having any single point of failure. The aircraft has no moving surfaces or tilting parts when transitioning from vertical to forward flight and the reverse which increases safety by reducing complexity.

Related Aircraft:

• WeFly WF-01 (subscale prototype)
• WeFly WF-02 (concept design)

Company Insights:

• Pitchbook
• Tigerrobo
• Tigerrobo (Ince Capital)

Resources:

• WeFly website (unknown)
• Article: eVTOL Startup WEFLY Secures Tens of Millions of Dollars in Angel Investment, Pan Daily, May 5, 2022
• Article: eVTOL Maker WEFLY Secures Tens of Mns of USD in Angel Round, Equal Ocean, May 6, 2022
• Article: Chinese eVTOL startup WEFLY secures tens of millions of dollars in angel round funding, CNEV Post, May 9, 2022
• Article: China eVTOL Aircraft Round-Up, Part 2, Vertiflite, January/February 2025
• Article: Chinese eVTOL Aircraft Directory, Part 1, Vertiflite, May/June 2025