In the previous article, the author talked to you about a series of stories about the development and construction of China, such as Zhi 9, Zhi 20, Zhi 15 and so on. Today, let's talk about the development of China's straight 8 series. In particular, the recent Z-8G and Z-8L*** are very important for the PLA Army, Navy and Air Force. So, compared with the European classic EH101*** China's straight 8L*** What is the level? Today, we're going to talk about that.
First of all, let's talk about the development of China's first field. For a long time, due to the limited level of domestic design and the long-term technical blockade of foreign countries, China has lagged behind in the field of development for a long time. In the sixties and seventies, the main model of the PLA troops was the Z-5 Z-5, which was copied step by step on the basis of the Soviet Mi-4, and there was a lag in the design concept and insufficient transportation capacity.
However, in terms of its own ability level, according to the actual situation at that time, China was simply unable to independently design, develop and produce *** 80s, and China and European and American countries entered a precious honeymoon period. It has to be said that this period of time has played an important role in China's national defense modernization. At this stage, China came into contact with a series of advanced Western technologies from Europe and the United States. In the field of ***, China has successively imported dolphins and super wasps from France, and S70*** Black Hawk from the United States).
The People's Liberation Army Mi-17 series medium-sized transport *** China has gradually developed three models such as straight 9, straight 8 and straight 20 on the basis of the above three types. Among them, the Z-9 belongs to the 4-ton machine with limited carrying capacity. The Z-20 belongs to the 10-ton general-purpose type, which is very much needed for all branches of the PLA. At present, China's armed police force has also begun to equip the Z-20 series in batches, so it can be seen that the Z-20 is very popular.
However, straight 8*** faced a very embarrassing situation for a long time. First of all, for a long time, the engines of the Z-8 series *** were not up to par and could not be used in highland areas. Secondly, the prototype of the Straight 8*** is the French Super Wasp *** Super Wasp *** adopts the design of the bottom of the boat. Although it is also a transport of 13-ton aircraft***, the width of the fuselage is insufficient to carry various combat vehicles. At the same time, due to the design of the boat type, the tailgate is almost impossible to arrange.
PLA Straight 8G Medium Transport *** Therefore, for a long time, the Z-8 *** has been an auxiliary role. From the 90s to the 2010s, China has successively imported more than 400 Mi-8, Mi-17, Mi-171 from Russia. Of course, relying on imports is not a long-term solution, and it is very easy to be "stuck" at critical moments. For the replacement of parts and components, the upgrading and improvement of equipment have put forward requirements.
At the same time, China is also improving and perfecting the straight 8 series, such as the launch of straight 8B, straight 8K, straight 8J, straight 8F, straight 8WJ, straight 8C and other models. But the above models are not perfect, and many traditional problems are still unsolved. In recent years, China has successively launched straight 8G and straight 8L. Among them, the straight 8G belongs to the plateau *** straight 8L belongs to the new development of the model, the entire body is redesigned, and the maximum take-off weight has reached about 15 tons.
With the increase in width, the PLA Z-8L medium-sized transport can transport Bobcat assault vehicles or other similar vehicles, and the delivery capacity has been greatly increased. Or be able to transport more than 20 heavily armed fighters for vertical strike missions. Among the world's most popular countries, Europe's EH101 "Greyback Falcon" is very classic. The EH101*** is a classic design in the 15-ton class*** and has been in service since the mid-to-late 90s.
The target has been equipped to a series of countries such as the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, India, Portugal, Denmark, etc., and on the basis of EH101, various countries have successively launched ordinary transport type, special combat assault type, shipborne anti-submarine type, and shipborne early warning type. Since it belongs to the 15-ton class, it can carry more equipment and equipment. EH101*** Maximum take-off weight 156 tons, maximum transport capacity 5It is about 5 tons, and the maximum range is about 1400 kilometers. Three RTM322-01 turboshaft engines are installed, each with a maximum power of 1566 kW.
European EH101 medium-sized transport *** straight 8L *** is also 15 tons *** maximum carrying capacity of about 5 tons. The Z-8L*** uses three turboshaft 6C engines, with a maximum power of 1,300 kilowatts each. On the whole, the indicators of the straight 8L*** in all aspects are very close to the European EH101***. However, due to the lag of engine technology, there is still a certain gap in terms of transportation capacity, life, fuel consumption, etc.
At present, among several main forces in China, the Z-8 uses the turboshaft 6 series engine, the Z-9 uses the turboshaft 8 series engine, the Wuzhi 10 uses the turboshaft 9G engine, and the Z-20 uses the turboshaft 10 engine. Among the above-mentioned models, in addition to the turboshaft 10 engine belongs to a new generation of models, the turboshaft 6 series and turboshaft 9 series engines, compared with the new generation of European products, have problems such as insufficient power, high fuel consumption and short life.
According to the data released at the air show, the rated power of China's turboshaft 10 engine is 1600 kilowatts, and the maximum power is 2000 kilowatts. The newly launched upgraded and improved model is expected to exceed 1800 kW of rated power. The Aneto 1K engine, which was just launched in France in 2021, has an output of between 1,864 and 2,237 kilowatts. On the basis of the straight 8***, the civilian version of AC313A*** launched by China uses 3 Aneto 1C engines.
At present, the American Apache and Black Hawk series *** all use T700 series turboshaft engines. In particular, the latest T700-T6E engine, with a rated power of 1879kW, and the rated power of China's turboshaft 10, has basically approached or reached this level. According to reports, the new generation of T901 series engines in the United States has a total weight of 204 kg and a rated power of 2237 kilowatts.
The U.S. Marine Corps CH53 Heavy Transport*** delivers 50 percent more power, 25 percent lower fuel consumption, 65 percent higher power-to-weight ratio, 20 percent longer life, and 20 to 35 percent lower production and maintenance costs than the T700 series engines in service. Generally speaking, in the field of turboshaft engines used in China, compared with before, the development progress is very obvious. However, compared with the new generation of products in Europe and the United States, there is still a certain gap. Of course, at this stage, the gap is gradually narrowing and is no longer so far away.
U.S. Army CH47 Heavy Transport *** In fact, not only in the field of turboshaft engines, but also in all aspects of diesel engines for armored vehicles, gas turbines and diesel engines for ships, and turbofan engines for fighters, almost all of them are in a similar situation. It is an objective fact that there is a gap with the new generation of European products. However, the gap is gradually narrowing, and China is catching up step by step.
Straight 8L*** can transport a series of stories about the development and construction of China's most advanced field, and there are many more, the author will talk to you slowly in future articles.