China's independently developed manned airship, the AS700, has completed its maiden flight in the country's southwestern Guizhou Province, the Special Vehicle Research Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), its developer, said on Monday.

The flight took place in the Guanling area and marked the airship's first low-altitude test flight over a plateau region above 1,000 meters. The flight successfully validated the airship's stability and safety in low-altitude conditions in highlands.

The environmental data and flight performance metrics gathered during this test not only confirmed the AS700's adaptability to the southwestern low-altitude conditions but will also inform future improvements and iterations of the airship. This also laid a foundation for the airship for a wide range of applications and set the stage for its use in fields such as emergency rescue, aerial surveillance and tailored flight support solutions.

The AS700 has a maximum flight range of 700 kilometers and an endurance of up to 10 hours.

Equipped with a unique thrust-vector synchronous servo control technology, the airship can take off and land over a short distance or vertically within a 150-meter diameter site.

The AVIC plans to further refine the AS700's use in the southwestern region, particularly for low-altitude tourism. The company aims to expand its applications across various sectors, including low-altitude transport and exploration, positioning aviation equipment as a "new engine" in stimulating the region's low-altitude economy.