Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics won 15 awards at the 2026 China Universities Aircraft Design Competition national finals, including 11 first prizes, one second prize and three third prizes.
Held from Oct 5 to 15 at Zigong Aviation Industrial Park in Sichuan province, the competition brought together more than 6,000 students and faculty members from over 200 universities.
Founded by the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2022, the competition has become a major national platform for university students to develop and test their aircraft design skills. This year's edition featured 12 events across three categories — fixed-wing aircraft, rotorcraft and rockets — with challenges involving flight performance, design reports and engineering validation.
NUAA's two solar-powered aircraft teams win second and third place at the competition. [Photo/en.nuaa.edu.cn]
NUAA's solar-powered aircraft teams focused on developing models capable of reaching greater altitudes. Their work covered overall aircraft configuration, aerodynamic simulation, lightweight structural design, solar power systems and flight-control systems. Through repeated ground tests and flight trials, the students addressed challenges such as insufficient power and unstable climbing performance. At the finals, two teams secured second and third place.
NUAA's unpowered glider team wins second prize nationally. [Photo/en.nuaa.edu.cn]
Another NUAA team competing in the unpowered glider event also won second place nationally after assembling and fine-tuning their aircraft and conducting repeated outdoor flight tests to adapt to different airflow conditions.
