In the 70s of the last century, based on the needs of China's development, we decided to start from FranceIntroduced SA321***and began the long road of imitation.
The imitation finished product is called the Z-8, but the reliability is not high, and the PLA has not been very fond of this equipment.
Later, after continuous improvement and development, Zhi8 Nirvana was reborn, and now the three armies are rushing to ask for it!
China's idea of introducing SA321*** can be traced back to the 60s of the last century, when China lacked the equipment to improve the air mobility combat capability of its troops, and *** was the most suitable.
Compared to fighters,Hardly dependent on airports, and can also be suspended at ultra-low altitudes, dropping troops directly from above, without the need for special paratroopers.
During the Vietnam War, the United States used airplanes to transport combat personnel into deep combat operations, and achieved good results.
However, China lacked a sufficiently large medium-sized ***, like the Mi-4*** production line that we imported from the Soviet Union at that time, and the Zhi-5*** that was successfully copied later, completely unusable.
Since then, China has also successively planned to develop its own ***, but because of technical and financial problemsNone of them had a good result
In the 70s, China had already decided to launch long-range launch vehicle experiments into the Pacific Ocean, which required shipborne research and measurement work.
At that time, the progress of the Z-7*** that China was developing was too slow, and it obviously could not meet our development needs.
After discussions, we decided to introduce a batch of SA321***14 from France) and on this basis, it was converted to sea ***
The SA321*** is a model developed by the French state-owned aerospace industryMedium-sized multi-purpose***It has a maximum take-off weight of 13 tons, can carry 27 passengers or 15 heavily armed soldiers, has 4 ** hardpoints outside, and can carry anti-ship missiles.
After getting this batch of SA321***, after unanimous discussion and decision by the relevant aviation departments, it was decided that this *** was better than the Zhi-7 project we were carrying out, so we began to focus on the imitation of SA321***.
Since then, the work on the imitation of SA321*** has been in full swing, and researchers have conducted a series of backtest experiments, including wind tunnel tests, fatigue experiments and so on.
By 1989, China had basically completed part of its importsAppraisal of the technology, and completed the adjustment test flight of the third Z-8.
Despite our efforts in many aspects, the localization rate of the early Z-8 is not high, and the localization rate of the components of the overall fuselage is less than 50.
Several components, including tail rotor hubs, main propeller blades and propeller hubs, need to be imported from foreign countries.
In the 90s, we began to overcome the difficulties of the localization technology related to the straight 8, and in 1994, oneThe localization rate is as high as 86 straight 8Design finalization.
But the almost successful localization of the straight 8 is not as easy to use as we imagined, on the one hand, when we imported French ***, in fact, there was no *** technology.
The economic conditions of that era were clear to everyone, and it was already good to be able to buy 14 foreign ***, not to mention the technology.
On this basis, research and development is bound to encounter many problems, if it cannot be solved, it can only be replaced by the lower position, which leads to the straight 8 left a large bane.
In the early days, the straight 8 was used, there was always a problem, a check, but I couldn't find the problem, it seemed that there would be a problem, and the soldiers didn't feel at ease when they came and went, and they were really a little "disgusted".
In addition, at that time, China imported a batch of more advanced products from Western countries, and many people thought that we should import more other people's thingsAnd not engage in this unreliable ***
In the doubts of the outside world, Changhe Aircraft Industry Group Company did not give up on continuing to improve the Zhi-8 helicopter.
They first replaced the original power system with an excellent turboshaft engine imported from abroad, so that the power and fuel consumption ratio were optimized, and then the power compartment of the Z-8 was improved, and the waterproof and cold-proof devices for harsh environments were added, so that the later maintenance and operation standards of this *** were reduced.
Among them, the straight 8F*** is their representative work after improvement, and we generally use it as a transport aircraft to fly in plateau areas.
Starting from the straight 8F, in fact, the reliability of this *** has beenThere has been a qualitative leap
In 2008, a total of 12 Z-8F rushed to the disaster area, made important contributions to the rescue operation, and successfully completed the transfer of personnel and other tasks.
However, the straight 8F is not the end of this *** design, on this basis, Changhe Aircraft Industry Group Corporation has developed the straight 18, which can be called a real "masterpiece".
In terms of performance data, the Z-18 has not changed much, but it is fundamentally different.
For example, the main rotor and tail rotor of the Z-18 were replaced with moreReliable composite materials, improved power transmission system and higher power engine, and on the basis of the original installation of landing gear, in order to better adapt to various environments.
Now the straight 18 has become a sought-after ***, especially the navy, and it can't put it down.
The main models of the Z-18 include transport *** anti-submarine type *** early warning type *** and so on.
According to the evaluation of the Z-18 by the American ** Popular Science, they believe that this *** is very good and can perform anti-submarine, enemy seeking, reconnaissance and other tasks.
EspeciallyThe range is long enough, which means that China's surface warfare and protection range has been greatly improved, which has greatly increased the survival and combat capability of China's surface ships.
The most obvious advantage of the Z-18 is that its structure has been optimized to a certain extent, and we characterize it as a large ***, but its range and performance have not been affected by this.
In other words, today's Z-18 has a more complex structure and slightly heavier weight, which not only does not become a burden on it, but optimizes performance.
Today's Z-18 can be said to be the Air Force's greed, the Army's want, the Navy's direct call and don't want to give it out, and the three armed forces "rush to ask for it."
Project Sword
References:
1] Global Network: "Chinese: sa 321 "Super Wasp".
2] Changhe Aircraft Industry Group Corporation: "Chinese: Military Aircraft Series - Introduction to Zhi-8 Aircraft".
3] Air Force World: "2 Z-18 Large General Purpose***