avia.wikisort.org - Helicopter

The Changhe Z-18, also known as Z-8G,[1] is a medium-lift transport helicopter developed by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) to replace the Harbin Z-8.

Z-18
PLANAF Changhe Z-18J AEW from the aircraft carrier Liaoning
Role	Utility helicopter Type of aircraft
National origin	China
Manufacturer	Avicopter (Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation)
First flight	2014[1]
Introduction	2018
Status	In service, in production
Primary user	People's Liberation Army
Developed from	Avicopter AC313

Design and development

The Z-18 is a development of the Avicopter AC313 and Harbin Z-8, both of which are developments of the Aérospatiale SA 321 Super Frelon.[2][1]

The fuselage reportedly makes greater use of titanium and composites,[3] and replaces the Z-8's boat-shaped lower fuselage with a tail ramp for small vehicles.[1] It has a glass cockpit[2] and is powered by three WZ-6C turboshafts.[2][1]

The Z-18's maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is 13.8 tonnes. In late-2014, the only People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ships able to operate the helicopter at MTOW were aircraft carriers and large amphibious assault ships.[3]

Operational history

The Z-18F anti-submarine warfare (ASW) version was undergoing testing by the end of August 2014.[3]

The transport Z-18A first appeared in Chinese state media in December 2014, and reportedly underwent high-altitude testing on the Tibetan Plateau in January 2015.[2] The Z-18A reached an altitude of 9,000 m (29,528 ft) during testing.[1]

The Z-18A was in service with the People's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) by January 2018.[2]

Variants

• Z-18A: Transport variant. It may carry 27[2]-30 troops,[1] small vehicles, or 5 tonnes of cargo to a range of up to 1000 km.[1] An extended nose contains terrain-following radar and an electro-optical system.[2] Some have a SATCOM fairing on the tailboom. The variant may have been re-designated as Z-8G (Gaoyuan, or "Plateau").[1]
  • Z-8L: Variant with wide-body fuselage and enlarged fuel sponsons, first spotted in January 2019.[4] The internal width of the load area has been increased from 1.8m to 2.4 m, making it larger than old Z-8 and SA321 variants.[5]
• Z-18F: ASW variant with chin-mounted surface search radar, dipping sonar, and may be equipped with up to four lightweight torpedoes and 32 sonobuoys.[3]
• Z-18J: Airborne early warning (AEW) variant, with a lowerable radar antenna in place of the ramp.[3]

Operators

 People's Republic of China

• People's Liberation Army Ground Force (Z-18A)[2]

Specifications (Z-18F)

Data from Military Today[6]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2 flight crew
• Capacity:
  
  • 27 passengers or
  • 15 stretchers
• Length: 23.05 m (75 ft 7 in) (overall, rotors turning)
• Height: 7 m (23 ft 0 in)
• Empty weight: 7,000 kg (15,432 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 13,800 kg (30,360 lb)
• Powerplant: 3 × WZ-6C turboshafts
• Main rotor diameter: 19 m (62 ft 4 in)
• Maximum speed: 336 km/h (209 mph, 181 kn)
• Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,528 ft)

Armament

• Up to 4 Yu-7 ASW torpedoes or YJ-9 anti-ship missiles[7]
• Up to 32 sonobuoys

See also

Related development

• Aérospatiale Super Frelon/Harbin Z-8
• Avicopter AC313

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

• AgustaWestland AW101
• Mil Mi-38
• NHIndustries NH90
• Sikorsky S-92

Related lists

• List of rotorcraft

References

На других языках

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[de] Changhe Z-18

Der Z-18 (.mw-parser-output .Hans{font-size:110%}直-18, Pinyin Zhí-18) oder Z-8G ist ein Transporthubschrauber der chinesischen Volksbefreiungsarmee. Er wurde von der Changhe Aircraft Industry Group (CAIG) entwickelt und ist eine stark modifizierte Variante des Harbin Z-8.

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- [en] Changhe Z-18

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[it] Changhe Z-18

Lo Z-18 (o Z-8G) è un elicottero medio multiruolo entrato in servizio nel 2018 su produzione della azienda cinese Changhe, selezionato come successore dello Z-8. Oltre che di pattuglia e di attacco, l’elicottero può anche svolgere missioni di ricerca e soccorso (SAR) e di evacuazione medica (MedEvac).

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