On May 12, 2025, the biomimetic synthetic rubber aviation tire developed by the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry (CIAC), Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully completed its aircraft-mounted flight verification at a flight test base, marking a major breakthrough for China in the field of critical materials and technologies for aviation tires.

The aviation tire that completed flight verification was specifically developed for a large fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This tire is manufactured entirely from biomimetic synthetic rubber materials, overturning the historical constraint that aviation tires could only be produced using natural rubber. During the tire product development process, the research team relied on their independently developed "Tire" digital tire industrial simulation software to optimally balance the stringent requirements for service conditions, weight, lifespan, and reliability of this aviation tire model. They fully leveraged the stability of quality parameters of biomimetic synthetic rubber as an industrial product, enabling forward-design of the aviation tire and defining the design boundaries. Bench simulation experiments have demonstrated that, while meeting service conditions and ensuring reliability, the tire's service life is several times longer than that of competing products.

The technologies related to biomimetic synthetic rubber aviation tires originated from support by the CAS Pioneer A Class Strategic Pilot Research Program and other funding sources. This aircraft-mounted test flight validated the practical application performance of the biomimetic synthetic rubber aviation tire and the full-chain technological innovation capabilities of the R&D team. It marks the transition of this technology from the laboratory to practical application, laying a solid foundation for subsequent large-scale production. Building on this flight verification, the team will further strengthen its original innovation capabilities, master key core technologies, expand the scope of application verification, and continuously broaden the path of independent innovation for China's aviation tires.

Biomimetic synthetic rubber aviation tire

Flight verification