The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has been developing a tiltrotor aircraft, similar to the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey or the Bell V-280 Valor, for more than a decade. Dubbed the “Blue Whale,” it was first revealed as a proof-of-concept program back in 2013, with a model unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2022.

The efforts have paid off, and the first prototype, which recently made its maiden flight, is now believed to be undergoing further tests.

Images have been circulating on social media of the still-unofficially-designated aircraft in flight. However, it remains unclear when the photos were taken or when they were first posted online.

Tiltrotor aircraft combine the vertical takeoff, hover, and vertical landings of a helicopter but offer the more extended range, higher speed, and fuel efficiency of a turboprop aircraft. As vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, they can operate from facilities that lack a traditional runway, such as helicopter carriers.

Once in the air, the aircraft converts from vertical to horizontal flight by rotating its propellers. In the case of the V-22, the nacelles, which include the engines and prop-rotor group........

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