China's Yun-12F Atmospheric Survey Aircraft Completes Maiden Flight, Meeting International Standards for Air Pollution Monitoring
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) announced that the Yun-12F atmospheric survey aircraft — China's first integrated atmospheric airborne survey platform — completed its maiden flight on July 2 at Harbin Pingfang Airport. The aircraft integrates more than 60 mission systems and is capable of detecting particulate matter, gaseous pollutants, greenhouse gases, and cloud-water chemistry. Detection accuracy and sensitivity are said to meet international advanced standards. Over 30 hours of regional test flights are planned.
Highlights
- The Yun-12F atmospheric survey aircraft completed its maiden flight on July 2, 2025, at Harbin Pingfang Airport, making it China's first integrated atmospheric airborne survey platform.
- The aircraft integrates more than 60 mission systems, enabling simultaneous high-sensitivity detection of PM, gaseous pollutants, greenhouse gases, and cloud-water chemistry at internationally advanced accuracy levels.
- The project was launched in 2024, led by Peking University, with AVIC Hafei responsible for large-scale modification and systems integration across seven top Chinese universities and research institutes.
- The Yun-12F is the only Chinese-developed civil aircraft to simultaneously hold type certificates from CAAC, FAA, and EASA.
- More than 30 cumulative hours of regional test flights are planned to validate mission equipment performance at varying altitudes and environmental conditions.
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has announced that the Yun-12F atmospheric comprehensive survey aircraft — China's national fixed-wing platform for integrated atmospheric environmental monitoring — successfully completed its maiden flight on July 2 at Harbin Pingfang Airport.
China's First Integrated Atmospheric Survey Aircraft Reaches World-Class Standards
As China's first integrated atmospheric airborne survey aircraft, the Yun-12F's successful maiden flight marks a significant milestone under the national key R&D programme "Comprehensive Remediation of Atmospheric, Soil, and Groundwater Pollution." Specifically, the flight advances the sub-project on "Airborne High-Sensitivity Detection Technology for Multiple Pollutants and Cloud-Water Chemistry," providing China with a critical vertical-profiling capability for regional air pollution monitoring and placing China's atmospheric airborne survey technology among the world's leading ranks.
Joint Development by Top Chinese Research Institutions
The Yun-12F atmospheric survey aircraft project was launched in 2024, led by Peking University, with AVIC Hafei (Aviation Industry Harbin Aircraft Industry Group) responsible for large-scale modification design and systems integration. Participating institutions include Peking University, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Nanjing University, Zhejiang University, Xi'an University of Technology, the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Beijing Weather Modification Center.
More Than 60 Mission Systems Integrated for Comprehensive Detection
Using the Yun-12F as the base platform, the aircraft underwent large-scale integration and modification of more than 60 mission systems. The work was centred on the high-sensitivity, three-dimensional detection of multiple pollutants — including atmospheric particulate matter (PM), gaseous pollutants, greenhouse gases, and cloud-water physical chemistry. The resulting platform delivers integrated airborne survey capability across all these categories, with detection precision and sensitivity reported to meet international advanced standards.
Going forward, the aircraft is scheduled to conduct more than 30 cumulative hours of test flights over representative regions, verifying the performance of the mission equipment at varying altitudes and environmental conditions.
Background: The Yun-12F Aircraft
The Yun-12F is an 8-tonne-class general-purpose and regional turboprop aircraft developed by AVIC Hafei. It is recognised for its advanced technology, outstanding payload capacity, and exceptionally large cabin volume within its aircraft class. Notably, it is the only Chinese-developed civil aircraft to hold type certificates simultaneously from China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC), the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Sources: IT之家 (ITHome), Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC)
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