China’s EHang unveils EH216-EK firefighting eVTOL

EHang has unveiled the EH216-EK firefighting pilotless electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft with high-payload airdrop deployment. The eVTOL is designed for aerial firefighting in early-stage forest and grassland fires, as well as fire emergencies at large industrial parks and warehousing and logistics facilities. The EH216-EK features a multi-channel fire-extinguishing payload release system for high-payload, multi-point aerial fire suppression, further expanding EHang’s portfolio of solutions for emergency response. At the “Smart Manufacturing in Wencheng, EHang Takes Flight into the Future” event held at the EHang Wencheng Smart Manufacturing Center, local government officials and EHang executives attended to witness the debut of EH216-EK, including Zhao Wang, Chief Operating Officer of EHang;  Xiaona Lee, China General Manager of EHang; and Daoyi Lee, General Manager of the Fire and Emergency Business Unit. EH216-EK also completed an on-site firefighting demonstration flight, showcasing its rapid response, stable flight, and precision fire suppression capabilities, and demonstrating a new approach to containing fires at an early stage. The EHang Wencheng Smart Manufacturing Center is being developed as a specialized low-altitude industry base integrating eVTOL production and assembly, testing and delivery, and maintenance services. The first batch of EH216-EK aircraft has completed assembly at the center, supporting EHang’s ongoing product validation, application development and future business initiatives for the aircraft. The facility is also expected to contribute to the development of the local low-altitude industry ecosystem and related application scenarios. The EH216-EK leverages the safety design principles of the EH216 series, featuring pilotless operation, vertical takeoff and landing, backup systems, redundancy design, and cluster management. Built on these features, the EH216-EK is designed to reach fire scenes quickly and conduct aerial fire suppression during the critical early stages of a fire. It is intended to offer a flexible and efficient complement to conventional ground firefighting forces. EH216-EK has a maximum design takeoff weight of 620 kilograms and a maximum design mission payload of 160 kilograms. Equipped with a 12-channel independently electronically controlled release system, it comes standard with twelve 10-kilogram fire-extinguishing canisters, or optionally eight 20-kilogram fire-extinguishing canisters. The canisters are compatible with different extinguishing agents, including water-based agents and ultra-fine dry powder. Each canister is designed to cover an area of approximately 6 to 8 meters in diameter, allowing flexible configuration to match fire conditions and precision suppression through coordinated multi-channel release. In addition, its redundant multirotor propulsion and advanced flight-control algorithms provide wind resistance and resist the intense thermal updrafts at fire scenes, designed to support steady hovering and precise payload release even in harsh environments. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]