ZHT Aero | 2025 Year in Review

company news

2025-12-31 15:17:08

Turning challenges into opportunities, driven by responsibility and purpose.

As the low-altitude economy gains momentum, we move forward not only as participants, but as builders of what comes next. For ZHT Aero, 2025 was a defining year—marked by deeper technological breakthroughs, expanded strategic reach, and closer integration across the industrial ecosystem. Anchored by our Tianjin R&D center and strengthened by our new presence in Shenzhen, we connected innovation with frontline markets. Through continuous flight testing and real-world customer validation, engineering specifications were transformed into practical capabilities serving a wide range of industries.

This review reflects more than 300 days of focused work, and extends an open invitation to partners across the industry. With a broader horizon ahead, we move into the next stage—together.

01 From Shenzhen, Toward New Horizons

In May 2025, we established a new branch office at Kerry Centre in Qianhai, Shenzhen—one of the city’s key innovation hubs. This step marked an expansion of our operational presence and a further extension of our strategic scope. The Shenzhen office strengthens our engagement with key markets, including the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area(GBA) and the Yangtze River Delta(YRD), while enabling closer collaboration across the industrial value chain. From this base in Shenzhen, we will continue to expand collaboration with partners across the industry and support the next phase of our growth.

02 R&D at the Core, Strengthening the Backbone

Throughout 2025, we continued to increase investment in research and development. More than half of our workforce is dedicated to R&D and testing, forming the core driving force behind sustained product evolution and technical progress.

(1) Setting New Performance Benchmarks for H-Frame Quadcopter Platforms. In 2025, we achieved a major performance advancement across our flight platforms through the adoption of next-generation 46950 large cylindrical battery cells, with an energy density up to 350 Wh/kg. As a result, our flagship KEEL achieved an ultra-long endurance of 120 minutes with a 1.3 kg payload, while KEEL Mini delivered 60 minutes of flight time with a 3 kg payload. These results reflect our continued focus on advancing the performance limits of purely electric H-frame quadcopter platforms, setting a new reference point for endurance and efficiency in this class

（2）Embedding Safety into Every Takeoff and Landing. To ensure the safe and reliable operation of high-voltage, heavy-lift systems, we developed an intelligent soft-start module, available in multiple voltage configurations (e.g., 120V and 400V). The module enables remote activation and staged power-up, eliminating the risk of arcing that can occur when manually connecting high-voltage lines.

We also introduced CAN-PSU , a new generation of total voltage current acquisition module, which reads and sends the voltage and current data of all ESCs on the CAN bus. The device connectes to the flight controller's CAN bus. By removing the need for sampling resistors, the module avoids associated heating issues while providing high-precision, real-time monitoring of critical electrical parameters. These advancements overcome the accuracy and responsiveness limitations of traditional ground-station monitoring for high-power UAV electrical systems, laying a solid data foundation for the safe operation of heavy-lift, high-voltage drones.

03 Anchoring on Product, Sharpening Performance

In 2025, we pushed the performance limits of KEEL Plus platform. Fully loaded with 30 kg, the drone can operate at speeds of 18 m/s while maintaining a flight endurance of 22 minutes. Across the year, nearly 2,000 test and demonstration flights were conducted—each one a rigorous assessment of the airframe, propulsion system, and full-system integration. KEEL Plus consistently delivered reliable performance, demonstrating the platform’s structural integrity and operational stability. The 30 kg payload represents an optimal balance between practicality and efficiency, supporting a wide range of critical applications. Even in strong winds, the platform remains stable, making it suitable for mountainous, coastal, and disaster relief operations.

（2）KEEL — A Trusted Modular Platform The KEEL modular UAV has been designed for beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) and long-endurance industrial applications, earning deep user trust over three consecutive years. With its balanced design, operational stability, and exceptional flight endurance, KEEL continues to serve as a versatile platform and foundational element across multiple industries. In 2025, while maintaining the same takeoff weight, KEEL achieved a significant performance upgrade: flight endurance at 0 kg payload increased from 120 minutes in the classic version to 160–180 minutes, and for the first time, it exceeded 100 minutes of flight time with a 2 kg payload (104 minutes). The operational radius and efficiency per flight are now several times greater than those of conventional UAVs.

KEEL Mini — High-Performance, Cost-Effective UAV The KEEL Mini serves as the agile pioneer of the KEEL series, designed for high-dynamic, high-density operational scenarios. It is capable of advanced maneuvers such as aerial flips, demonstrating structural strength and dynamic stability beyond its class. The platform supports a maximum payload of 8 kg and can reach instantaneous speeds of up to 40 m/s, offering an experience comparable to an industrial grade large-scale FPV drone. Throughout 2025, the KEEL Mini drone frame demonstrated exceptional adaptability, accommodating propeller sizes from 22 to 30 inches, providing more flexible deployment options for a wide range of users. The platform is actively employed in logistics delivery, efficient inspection, and security operations, among other applications.

KEEL Pro — Lightweight Heavy-Lift Platform The KEEL Pro combines high performance with exceptional portability, representing our heavy-lift UAV solution. Retaining the modular design philosophy of the KEEL series, the platform supports a maximum payload of 70 kg and features a tool-free quick-release design, enabling rapid deployment and repositioning by one to two operators. The platform demonstrates outstanding environmental adaptability, maintaining stable operation in up to Level 8 wind conditions, and performing reliably in high-altitude, coastal, and other complex operational environments. With CAN bus control and a redundant system design, KEEL Pro ensures flight stability across all scenarios. KEEL Pro provides a flexible and reliable aerial solution for a wide range of heavy-duty operations. Its focus on cutting-edge exploration has made it an innovation platform for advanced project validation at multiple universities and research institutes.

KEEL Max — 100‑kg-Class Payload UAV with Rapid Single-Operator Assembly Guided by the development philosophy of “one platform, limitless possibilities”, the KEEL Max airframe has been precisely engineered to accommodate multiple propulsion systems with varying power, torque, and efficiency, allowing solutions to be tailored to specific mission requirements. Its modular design enables a single operator to quickly assemble and deploy the platform, even when preparing for payloads in the 100‑kg class. Featuring a coaxial quadcopter configuration, KEEL Max supports a 100‑kg-class payload and achieves a flight endurance of up to 30 minutes. This capability allows the platform to lift large professional equipment, deploy bulk emergency supplies, or carry multiple heavy mission modules, extending operational range and broadening application scenarios.

04 Enabling Industries with an Integrated Ecosystem

As a provider of fully integrated UAV solutions, ZHT Aero is committed to building a highly standardized and widely compatible flight platform. In 2025, our platform successfully supported and deeply integrated over 30 specialized mission payloads, including high-precision surveying LiDAR, multispectral cameras, dual- and quad-optical gimbals, ground-penetrating sensors, gas detection units, and multi-mode delivery systems—forming ZHT Aero’s unique integrated solution ecosystem. Customers can now access a plug-and-play, stable, and reliable UAV solution without the complexity of system integration, enabling rapid response across a wide range of applications, including security inspection, precision mapping, energy exploration, emergency logistics, and scientific research.

Thanks to close collaboration with key supply chain partners at both the protocol and hardware levels, the ZHT Aero platform continues to evolve steadily, delivering reliable and efficient aerial capabilities across a wide range of industries. By bringing next-generation productivity directly into operational environments, we help convert technological potential into tangible industry value. Looking ahead, we aim to deepen integration with all partners—not only in products and technology, but also in establishing shared standards, co-creating operational scenarios, and unlocking collective value.

05 Bridging Connections, Shaping Industry Momentum

This year, ZHT Aero participated in over 30 major professional exhibitions, attracting unprecedented attention from the industry. Each demonstration and every exchange provided the opportunity to connect with like-minded partners and gain firsthand insights into the dynamic pulse of the low-altitude economy.

In addition, we had the privilege of hosting numerous visitors from government agencies, enterprises, universities, and industry partners at our Tianjin and Shenzhen sites. In-depth industry-academia-research exchanges and business discussions provided us with valuable insights and broad opportunities for future growth.