The Beihang Aeromodelling Team delivered its best-ever performance at the 2026 China Universities Aircraft Design Competition (CUADC) national finals, capturing four championships, two runner-up finishes and one third place.

Held in Zigong, Sichuan Province, from October 7 to 15, this year's CUADC drew more than 6,000 participants from 200 universities across the country, including Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Northwestern Polytechnical University and the University of Hong Kong. Beihang competed in nine categories and also received honors for Outstanding Institution, Outstanding Instructor, Best Creative Award, and Outstanding Design Award.

Sponsored by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the CUADC is one of China's most prestigious, largest, and most influential university aeromodelling competitions. Since its inception, it has sought to advance learning, teaching, and talent development through competition, sharpening students' capacity for research innovation and engineering practice and cultivating reserve talent for China's aerospace sector.

Beihang's team began preparing for the 2026 competition over the summer, overcoming numerous challenges to iteratively refine and upgrade existing designs and manufacturing techniques. Their efforts bore fruit across multiple events.

In the Precision Airdrop event, two crews swept first and second place and took the team title. The Fixed-Wing UAV Reconnaissance and Strike crew rebounded from GPS interference in the opening round to post the highest score of the second round and secure a third consecutive championship. The Logistics UAV team, using the only controllable paraglider airdrop design in the competition, won first place and an Outstanding Design Award.

Students from the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering also stood out, earning second place in the Wing Static Load Challenge, Beihang's best result in the event, along with a second prize and a third prize in Time-Limited Cargo Flight and an Outstanding Design Award. They were also interviewed by Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, CGTN and other media outlets.

Behind the results is a team drawn from across the university, spanning the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, the School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shenyuan Honors College, the School of Materials Science and Engineering, the School of Transportation Science and Engineering, the School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, and the International School, and covering multiple undergraduate years and majors.

Founded in 1952, the Beihang Aeromodelling Team is a world-class student innovation team in aeromodelling. Under the guidance of the University Youth League Committee and the management of the School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, the team has become a key platform for cultivating innovative talent at Beihang. Numerous Beihang students have begun their journeys here to play key roles in major aviation programs, fulfilling the mission of serving the nation through aerospace endeavors.

Editor: Lyu Xingyun