“Dongda · Kunpeng 2” Flying Car Makes Its First Public Debut, Featuring an Innovative Foldable Arm Design

IT Home reported on January 25 that Southeast University (SEU) has shared new progress from its flying-car research program. On January 23—more than a year after the debut of the “Dongda · Kunpeng 1”—SEU’s flying-car R&D team unveiled the “Dongda · Kunpeng 2” to the public for the very first time.

During the demonstration, the aircraft lifted off smoothly from SEU’s Jiulonghu Campus, climbed steadily, crossed over the lake, and then touched down on an outdoor platform on the fifth floor of the Sanjiang Building on the opposite side—showcasing a complete “takeoff–crossing–landing” scenario in a real campus environment.

According to SEU, compared with the “Dongda · Kunpeng 1,” the upgraded “Dongda · Kunpeng 2” is lighter and more compact. It introduces a foldable arm design, enabling faster and more flexible configuration changes. The overall engineering focus centers on multifunction adaptability, high mission reliability, and seamless air–ground integration—aligning with the National Development and Reform Commission’s guidance for developing the low-altitude economy: “cargo first, passengers later; isolation first, integration later; suburbs first, urban cores later.”

SEU emphasized that the “Dongda · Kunpeng 2” is not a simple iteration, but a redefinition built around large-scale commercialization. Designed with the principles of “easy cargo transport” and “convenient ground mobility,” it uses foldable arms to address key pain points in parking and road travel. The platform also incorporates redundant safety-oriented flight configurations, stronger payload capability, an innovative ground chassis, and a high-precision navigation system—positioning it for low-altitude logistics, inspection operations, emergency response, and other practical applications.

Previously, IT Home reported that on January 1 last year, SEU’s team officially introduced the “Dongda · Kunpeng 1,” described as China’s first domestically developed distributed electric-drive flying car. The vehicle adopted an all-wheel steering and all-wheel drive design with a quad-axle, eight-rotor configuration. It measured 2.1 × 1.2 × 1.5 meters, had a maximum takeoff weight of 500 kg, offered a flight endurance of at least 20 minutes, and supported a maximum flight altitude of at least 300 meters.