The launch ceremony for the live-competition segment of the fourth "Zhi Hang Cup" National Drone Smart Algorithm Contest took place in Beijing on August 24. The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment, the China Guanghua Science and Technology Foundation, the National Innovation Center for High-End Aviation Equipment, and AVIC Culture Co., Ltd.
Distinguished attendees included Xu Xiao, Executive Secretary of the Communist Youth League Central Committee Secretariat and President of the All-China Youth Federation; Wei Yingbiao, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group and General Manager of AVIC; Lei Hongjie, Deputy Secretary of the Party Group, Vice President of AVIC, and President of the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment; alongside faculty and student representatives from participating universities.
Operating under the principle of "promoting research through competition and advancing application through competition," this year's contest centers on autonomous collaborative identification and situational awareness for drone swarms. The initiative aims to identify outstanding young technical talent from universities and research institutions, bridge the critical gap between smart algorithms in code and their deployment in actual equipment, and accelerate the intelligent upgrade of drone systems.
Sixty-six teams from 55 universities, including Beihang University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Harbin Engineering University, registered for the online simulation round. Teams for the live competition were selected from this pool. During the ceremony, attendees viewed the contest promotional video. Zhang Fujun, Party Secretary of the Chinese Aeronautical Establishment, outlined the contest's positioning as a platform for advancing frontier technology research and nurturing young innovators.
Zhang Chuanhui, Party Secretary and Board Chairman of the China Guanghua Science and Technology Foundation, provided an overview of the contest's progress. He emphasized that drone smart algorithms serve as the core foundational technology for aerospace unmanned systems and low-altitude intelligent applications, directly impacting the autonomy and modernization of high-end aviation equipment. He noted that this edition features comprehensive upgrades, concentrating on autonomous collaborative identification and situational awareness in complex environments while addressing pressing challenges in low-altitude airspace management and multi-drone coordinated operations.
Liu Yang, Youth League Committee Secretary of Beihang University, spoke as a representative of participating institutions. He highlighted the role of university Communist Youth Leagues in connecting with and serving young people, leveraging technology contest platforms to transform national strategic needs into youth innovation projects, convert research and industry frontiers into practical education settings, and unite aspiring young talents committed to aviation and technological service to the nation.
Wei Yingbiao emphasized in his address that the contest drives research by encouraging young talent to tackle real challenges through an open-bidding mechanism, seeking optimal solutions within authentic equipment, problems, and scenarios to advance aviation technology self-reliance. He stressed the importance of deepening industry-academia-research collaboration to efficiently translate research outcomes into equipment applications, accelerating the development of new productive forces and combat capabilities. Additionally, he highlighted the contest's role in identifying and cultivating dedicated young professionals across various fields for the aviation industry.
Xu Xiao offered three expectations for the participating youth: first, to cultivate deep patriotism and strive to be pioneers in serving the nation through technology, integrating personal research aspirations into the high-quality development of the aviation industry and national rejuvenation; second, to pursue self-reliance and boldly explore uncharted territory in core technologies, breaking through bottlenecks and strengthening China's aviation research capabilities; and third, to focus on translating achievements into new combat effectiveness, balancing theoretical innovation with onboard engineering adaptation, engaging with aviation experts and model development teams, and actively participating in practical validation.
The ceremony featured the contest promotional film and a topic explanation video, comprehensively presenting the competition philosophy, challenge design, rules, and innovation orientation. University team representatives received their challenge certificates, with the open-bidding mechanism designed to stimulate innovation among young technologists.
Since its inception in 2022, the "Zhi Hang Cup" has been held for three editions and is deeply integrated into the Communist Youth League's "Challenge Cup" system and the China Youth Science and Technology Innovation "Open Bidding" arena. It has become a flagship innovation platform connecting state-owned enterprise research resources, university academic strength, and the organizational advantages of the Communist Youth League. This year's live competition marks a significant upgrade from online simulation to real-machine validation, further establishing a two-way channel for outcome implementation and talent recommendation.
The live-competition phase of this year's contest represents a major milestone in the event's evolution, signaling a shift toward practical verification and expanding opportunities for both innovation deployment and career development in the drone technology sector.