Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Chinese Startup Sells Water-Landing Spherical eVTOL Passenger Aircraft
A Chinese company is selling a small aircraft shaped like a flying saucer.
It is designed to carry two people.
The aircraft can rise straight up and come straight down without using a runway.
It can also take off from and land on water.
Its clear cabin gives passengers a 360-degree view.
It can fly only about 100 feet above the ground.
It can stay in the air for around 15 minutes.
The company says it has received a special flight permit for civil unmanned aircraft from China’s aviation authority.
SMD Shenzhen Smart Drone UAV has developed a two-person, disc-shaped electric aircraft with a spherical transparent cockpit.
The aircraft takes off and lands vertically, so it does not require a runway, and it can operate on water.
It has a maximum altitude of nearly 100 feet and can remain airborne for about 15 minutes.
The six-rotor ducted design hides the propellers inside the aircraft’s fuselage and allows it to withstand Force 5 winds.
The aircraft was displayed at the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center and is reportedly priced at Rs 1.1 crore.
- Who
- SMD Shenzhen Smart Drone UAV developed the aircraft; Huang Yang represented the company’s showroom.
- What
- A two-person, spherical-cabin electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft is being displayed and sold as a flying saucer.
- When
- The articles do not provide a specific date; the aircraft was reported as being on display when viral videos circulated.
- Where
- The aircraft was displayed at the Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province, China.
- Why
- It is intended for low-altitude sightseeing and other aerial activities without requiring a runway.
- Reported price
- Rs 1.1 crore
- Developer
- SMD Shenzhen Smart Drone UAV
- Passenger capacity
- Two people
- Maximum altitude
- Nearly 100 feet
- Flight duration
- About 15 minutes
- Water operation
- Can take off from and land on water
- Display location
- Yiwu Global Digital Trade Center, Zhejiang Province
- Reported authorization
- A special flight permit for civil unmanned aircraft from the Civil Aviation Administration of China