The Shaanxi Baojii Special Vehicles Lie Ying Falcon ("Semi-Open Cabin With Tandem Seats Falcon"), otherwise known as Hunting Eagle Strike Gyrocopter,[6] is a Chinese autogyro that was designed and produced by the Shaanxi Baojii Special Vehicles Manufacturing Company of Baoji in Shaanxi province. The aircraft was supplied complete and ready-to-fly.[7]
| Lie Ying Falcon | |
|---|---|
| Role | Autogyro Type of aircraft |
| National origin | China |
| Manufacturer | Shaanxi Baojii Special Vehicles Manufacturing Company/ Shaanxi Bao He Defense Technology[1] |
| Designer | Wang Baohe; Shaanxi Baojii Special Vehicles Manufacturing Company; Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics[2] |
| First flight | 2011[3] |
| Status | In production (2015) |
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army[4] |
| Developed from | "German autogyro technology"[5] |
The manufacturer is a well-known builder of armoured vehicles for police and military use and the aircraft was reportedly flying in 2015, but the original website was taken down in late 2016.[7][8] However, there is a new company website.[9]
The aircraft gained media attention when it appears as part of 2019 China National Day military parade.[10] Nicknamed "air tricycle", the aircraft reportedly costs approximately 40,000 Chinese Yuan.[11]
The Falcon was designed for police and military use as a surveillance aircraft. It features a single main rotor, a two-seats-in tandem open cockpit with a windshield, tricycle landing gear and a Rotax 914 engine in pusher configuration. The Rotax engine is an Austrian-made, four-cylinder, liquid- and air-cooled, four stroke turbocharged 115 hp (86 kW) unit.[7]
The aircraft has a two-bladed rotor with a diameter of 8.4 m (27.6 ft). It has a typical empty weight of 290 kg (639 lb) and a gross weight of 560 kg (1,235 lb), giving a useful load of 270 kg (595 lb). With full fuel of 70 litres (15 imp gal; 18 US gal) the payload for the crew and mission equipment is 220 kg (485 lb).[7]
The basic model of the aircraft is a two-seater. An upgraded three-seater version of the aircraft also exists.[12] The three-seat variant feature a 135 hp (101 kW) engine, a larger fuel tank made from different materials, to give greater range, and allow the transportation of more cargo, as well as for parachuting operations.[13]
Data from Tacke[7]
General characteristics
Performance