First Chinese Chopper

[comiso90]

BBC News - China unveils homemade AC313 large civilian helicopter

he heavy-lift AC313 helicopter, built by the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (Avic), can carry 27 passengers or up to 13.8 tonnes.

It is designed to be used for rescue missions in earthquakes, typhoons and other natural disasters.

It is the latest advance for the country's ambitious aerospace industry.

At last month's Singapore Air Show, Beijing unveiled the Comac C919 aircraft - China's answer to the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320, which should be available commercially by 2016.

The AC313 has a maximum range of 900km (560 miles), the state-run China Daily reported on its website.

Its test flight - broadcast live on China Central Television on Thursday - was hailed as a "breakthrough in domestic aviation technology", it added.

 

[tomo pauk]

Tnx for the info, comiso

My take is that they copied French Super Frelon.

 

[Trebor]

nice lookin chopper

as for the Comac, it's a nice design, but that and the Airbus A319 can never compete with the Boeing 737 and win can ya tell I'm a lover of Boeing?

 

[Matt308]

Back in the late 90s I talked with the old America West airline, Chief Maintenance Manager. He was adamant that the Boeing 737 aircraft were easier to maintain, but the A320 was built like a tank. "Over engineered" were his words.

China is hungry for aerospace engineering expertise. It's their propulsion engineering that is currently lagging. Currently.

 

[tomo pauk]

Agree.
Had they not $crewed it up by 'The great leap ahead' and Cultural revolution, the tech gap vs. USA like would've be next to nothing today.

 

[r2800doublewasp]

Interesting....their airliner that "competes" with the A320 and 737 looks more like a copied Dc-9 with a few upgrades. Im not saying that they copied the dc-9, i think they built it under license a few years ago, but it is definitely not an "indigenous" design.

 

[Markost]

My take is that they copied French Super Frelon.

It wouldn´t be the first time, remember the Z-11, the chinese Ecureuil.

Btw, I´m new in the forum, see ya.

 

[Matt308]

...and it is a DC-9 derivative.

 

[comiso90]

...and it is a DC-9 derivative.

As worthy of disdain it is, I think it's very smart.

Proven design... they'll undercut Boeing and Airbus and sell hundreds to underdeveloped countries and make billions.

The Model-T of Air Passenger Travel has arrived.... unless they start dropping from the skies!

Hell, maybe the big players are a little bloated and could use competition?


,

 

[vikingBerserker]

It does look like a Super Frelon

 

[Matt308]

Zhi-8 Transport / SAR Helicopter - SinoDefence.com

It too is a copy.

 

[tomo pauk]

French Dauphine is also copied, along with many MiG jets. Even Su-27 got copied there.

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

French Dauphine is also copied, along with many MiG jets. Even Su-27 got copied there.

Everything is copied in China. My father in laws company deals with the Chinese quite a bit. Whenever Chinese representative come to visit, they are searched for cameras and other devises to copy plans and what not. Pretty pathetic if you ask me. Come up with something original for crying out loud!

 

[Matt308]

They even copied the engines.

 

[tomo pauk]

On the other hand, the rest of the world copies many things Chinese invented, so this might be regarded as overdue royalities...

 

[Gnomey]

Yeah isn't surprising at all. Be interesting to see where it leads in the future. Would not be surprising if it (Comac) sells well in developing nations particularly in Africa where China had been making large commercial business deals for raw materials in return for building infrastructure.