Images Appear to Show COMAC's Full-Sized CE-25A 19-Seat All-Electric Aircraft Demonstrator
Why It MattersA full-sized demonstrator would move China's state-owned manufacturer from concept renderings toward flight hardware in the crowded field of distributed-electric commuter aircraft, though the images remain unverified.
New images appear to show a full-sized demonstrator of the CE-25A, a 19-seat all-electric aircraft being developed by the state-owned Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC). The photographs, which appear to have first been shared by Chinese automotive blogger Han Lu on October 28, show a red and black aircraft with a silver cheatline bearing COMAC and CE-25A markings and the Chinese civil registration B-0EFH. Their authenticity cannot be established with certainty, though multiple AI image-analysis models found no major indications that the pictures were artificially generated.
COMAC first presented the CE-25A concept at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai in November 2023, describing it as a 19-seat, all-electric commuter aircraft for short- and medium-distance passenger transport and business aviation. Published specifications call for a cruising speed of about 400 km/h (248 mph) and a range of roughly 400 to 500 km (250 to 310 miles). Instead of a small number of turboprop engines, the design uses 10 electrically driven ducted fans integrated into the wing structure.
For comparison, the Beechcraft 1900 carries 19 passengers over about 700 km (440 miles) at roughly 520 km/h (320 mph). Other distributed-electric or electric regional projects include the European UNIFIER-19 research effort on 19-seat, near-zero-emission commuter concepts, NASA's X-57A Maxwell (14 motors with open propellers, cancelled in 2023 after propulsion-system safety issues), France's AURA AERO ERA (16 to 19 seats, eight electric motors and two turbogenerators, advertised range about 1,500 km), and Heart Aerospace's ES-19, with a range of about 400 km.
