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AVICopter AC311

2015 MODERN AIRCRAFT

AVICopter AC311 History

With China's massive industrial growth in recent decades, its defense industry has been booming, with many projects underway and more to come. No longer content to be a military buyer (mainly from the USSR/Russia), its military-industrial complex has embraced more complex projects - from fifth-generation fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to full-fledged main battle tanks (main battle tanks). battle tanks) and infantry assault weapons.

AVIC Helicopter, a state-owned defense enterprise founded in 1951, began designing a new light helicopter, the product AC311, in 2009.

The AS311 program is based on the fact that decades ago Changhe Aircraft Industries (CAIC) began illegally labelling Aerospace/Eurocopter's AS350 "Ecureuil" (meaning "squirrel") as a copy of the "Z-11". The original French design was developed in the 1970s and launched in 1975, before being put into service with global operators such as Australia, Brazil and Jordan. Development of a more localized version in China, the Z-11, began in 1989, and development culminated in a working system, which first flew in late 1994.

Includes an armed light attack platform.

This piece subsequently developed into the modern AC311 series, with an appearance not unlike the lines commonly found on French light helicopters. The front end of the aircraft is designed with large expanses of glass for excellent cockpit visibility. A small cabin area is located behind the cockpit and under the single-engine unit along the canopy. The tail shaft originates from the lower part of the nacelle body and houses the shaft for driving the tail rotor connected to the starboard side of the vertical tail.

The main rotor is a three-blade arrangement. Since there is only one motor in the design, only one jet tube is visible above the tailstock.

The first flight was in 2011, the engine is the United States Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 turboshaft engine, driving three-blade main rotor and two-blade tail rotor.

The AC311 program has since evolved by installing new engines, improved main rotors, and improved flight controls, resulting in the AC311A variant. The brand also includes mostly Chinese avionics, which is about 100 pounds heavier than the original model.

Development of the new brand started in August 2013, with the engine chosen being the French Turbomeca Arriel 2B1A turboshaft engine (based on an agreement between the French engine manufacturer and AVIC in 2011). The first flight of the AC311A was announced in August 2014.