The Chinese military has been working on developing new and more advanced military choppers after successfully establishing a family of military choppers in the last few decades, including the Z-20 helicopter which has been projected as the cornerstone of its air power.
China’s leading helicopter manufacturers announced that an all-new type of helicopter with an innovative design has successfully completed its maiden flight.
The prototype of this chopper will lead to the development of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s next-generation, high-performance helicopter, Global Times reported.
According to analysts, the new helicopter could have a higher speed, better stealth capabilities, or a larger takeoff weight than most current helicopters in its inventory.
The Changhe Aircraft Industry (Group) Corporation Ltd and the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, both subsidiaries of the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), launched a self-funded project to break the limits of conventional aerodynamic design, improve performance and combat capabilities, push forward technological innovations, and optimize industrial development modes in Jingdezhen, East China’s Jiangxi Province.
The institution claimed in a news release on its WeChat account recently that the project was examined in March 2022 during a routine joint work meeting held by the two companies. According to the press statement, the new helicopter completed its first flight successfully and is now performing additional test flights to ensure its performance.
Often referred to as a clone of the American Black Hawk chopper, the Z-20 is apparently going through various upgrades to allow the helicopter to perform multiple missions. The manufacturer’s priority is an assault variant of this iconic helicopter.
Since the 1950s, China has manufactured around 60 different types of helicopters based on 12 different platforms. Xu Jianhua, head of the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute had told the Global Times on the sidelines of a future helicopter design tournament, 2021.
According to the press release, the prototype will lay a solid foundation for the PLA’s future development of a next-generation, high-performance helicopter. It stated that the two AVIC subsidiaries have solved many technical issues ahead of schedule as a result of the project and that it is promoting the approval of a national project for the new helicopter’s continued development.
The authorities divulged no additional information about the new aircraft, such as how it differs from conventional helicopters in design or its planned missions, and whether it is an attack helicopter, a reconnaissance helicopter, or a transport helicopter.
