On September 18, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology unveiled the inaugural list of demonstration bases for emerging industries, with three low-altitude equipment demonstration parks selected nationwide, and Sichuan Chengdu Qingyang Economic Development Zone (Qingyang Economic Development Zone) among those honored.

Construction of the Qingyang Economic Development Zone began in 2004, and it gained provincial-level development zone status in 2019. The zone now operates under a spatial framework of "one zone, three areas," encompassing a national innovation center, an R&D headquarters, and a smart manufacturing hub.

Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the aerospace industry revenue within the zone has climbed from 48.7 billion yuan to 92 billion yuan, reflecting an average annual growth rate of 13%. In terms of market share, the zone's aviation sector ranks among the top nationally, contributing over one-third of Sichuan Province's aviation industry output and more than half of Chengdu's total.

This scale is underpinned by leading chain enterprises such as AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co., Ltd., AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, and AVIC Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Systems Co., Ltd. Around these key players, the zone has gathered over 300 major supporting enterprises, forming a complete industrial ecosystem that spans "R&D and design, testing and validation, component manufacturing, final assembly and integration, and scenario operations" for all aircraft categories.

The development and mass production of low-altitude equipment models by these chain leaders have directly spurred coordinated upgrades among the zone's flight control software, power component, and parts suppliers. Running parallel to this chain-enterprise spillover is the opening up of aviation technology resources from major research institutes and universities. Through initiatives like "reverse zoning" to adjust industrial land use and the construction of specialized facilities, the zone has shifted these resources from an "internal circulation" model to an "open sharing" approach, enabling more small and medium-sized enterprises to integrate into the low-altitude equipment supply chain.

Being selected for the national list represents a key step in Qingyang's implementation of the national low-altitude economy development strategy and its role in undertaking provincial and municipal pilot reforms for low-altitude airspace. It also offers a fresh opportunity for the zone to consolidate innovation resources and refine its industrial ecosystem.

On the innovation front, the zone is advancing the construction of high-level platforms, including the Sichuan Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Innovation Center, the Low-Altitude Economy Architecture and Planning Research Center, and an aviation engine high-altitude testing platform. To date, 92 innovation platforms at various levels have been established within the zone, with national-level institutions like the National Key Laboratory for Digital Agile Aircraft Design and the National Technology Innovation Center for High-End Aviation Equipment already generating a leading influence and continuously channeling aviation technology into the low-altitude equipment sector.

In the talent dimension, the zone has built 11 academician (expert) workstations and attracted 549 high-level professionals, including academicians. It has also established a national-level city-industry education consortium and the Sichuan Low-Altitude Economy Industry College, and has co-built 12 training bases with universities such as Northwestern Polytechnical University and Harbin Institute of Technology, having trained over 3,000 aviation technology professionals to date.

Looking ahead, the Qingyang Economic Development Zone will build on its existing aviation industry strengths, leveraging chain-leading enterprises and innovation platforms to further strengthen its position in the low-altitude economy. The goal is to drive high-quality development in the low-altitude sector and transition from "leading in industrial scale" to "exporting development models."