Global Low - Altitude Economy Industry: Development Status and Experiences of Major Economies

About the Industry

The low-altitude economy industry offers advantages such as a long industrial chain, wide-ranging radiation-driven effects, strong growth potential, and vast market space. It represents a prominent manifestation of new technologies, industries, models, and business forms. Major developed economies like those in Europe, the United States, and Japan have leveraged first-mover advantages from the general aviation era to establish relatively complete industrial chains and mature business models, demonstrating remarkable leadership and innovation capabilities.

China's low-altitude economy industry remains in the early development stage. Understanding the global development situation and summarizing the experiences of major economies is crucial for China to seize strategic opportunities in this field.

Current Development Status of the Overseas Low-Altitude Economy Industry

The overseas low-altitude economy industry builds on the prosperity of the general aviation era. Major developed economies in Europe, the United States, and Japan are actively consolidating their first-mover advantages in scale and technology. As an emerging economic form, the low-altitude economy is becoming a new engine for global economic growth, with each region demonstrating unique progress.

United States

The U.S. leads in low-altitude economy development, covering general aviation, drone transportation, and urban air mobility. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plays a crucial role by formulating and implementing regulations and standards to ensure safe and orderly growth.

Japan

Japan promotes the low-altitude economy through government planning, enterprise participation, and technological innovation. It has formulated a development roadmap for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), setting goals for 2025 and 2030. Japan actively cultivates eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) enterprises and encourages automotive companies like Honda and Toyota to participate. Application scenarios include offshore flights, port helicopter pilotage, sightseeing, cross-border and inter-city flights, medical rescue, and mountain search and rescue.

Development Experiences of the Overseas Low-Altitude Economy Industry

Leading with Technological Innovation

Major developed economies prioritize technological progress and innovation in the aerospace field to strengthen their advantages.

• United States: The U.S. government and enterprises invest heavily in aviation R&D, covering military, civil aviation, and aerospace technology. Leading institutions like MIT, Caltech, NASA, and DARPA drive innovation.
• European Union: Through programs like "Horizon 2020" and "Horizon Europe," the EU incubates projects related to urban air mobility, U-Space, airspace management, and aviation AI. Governments fund research and establish investment funds to support eVTOL development.
• Japan: SkyDrive collaborates with Suzuki Motor to produce flying cars. Honda has introduced a gas turbine-electric hybrid eVTOL with a 400-kilometer range. JAXA partners with enterprises to advance eVTOL research and development.

Improving Policy and Regulatory Systems

Countries worldwide have introduced supportive policies and preferential measures to ensure the growth of the low-altitude economy. These frameworks provide strong guarantees for industrial development and innovation.