AVICopter AC332 (Advanced Heavy Lifter - AHL)

History

China and Russia have entered into a joint design partnership to produce an all-new high-altitude heavy-lift helicopter. The claimed top speed is set at 186 mph and the range is up to 390 miles. What's more, the challenge for engineers is to design a vehicle that can reach up to 5,700 meters (18,696 feet), the highest point in China's harsh terrain.

Gross weight is estimated at 84,200 pounds, and it seats about 60 passengers. Currently, the rotorcraft will be smaller in size than Russia's giant heavy Mil Mi-26 "Halo", but larger (twice the weight) than the US military's American Boeing CH-47F Chinook tandem rotor system.

The Mi-26 is currently the largest combat helicopter in the world, with operators in Russia, India and Ukraine (among other countries).

China AviCopter leads the development in China with the project name "Advanced Heavy Lifter" (HAL) and the operational name "AC332" (officially "AC3X2"). Early designs were shown at the China Helicopter Expo in Tianjin in September 2015. The AHL project is mainly funded by China.

A typical mid-size helicopter can hover at most between 10,500 and 14,000 feet (forward flight shows a maximum altitude closer to 25,000 feet) before the engine's ability to breathe thin air limits further climbs. In June 1972, a specially adapted light high-altitude helicopter from Aerospatiale "Lama" reached a new altitude record of 40,814 feet.

However, the engine stalled, forcing the pilot (Jean Boulle of France) to perform an autorotation landing. This landing, the helicopter also set a world record for the longest rotation time.

China has a long history of operating and manufacturing Soviet Russian and more recently French helicopters. With this knowledge and that of Russian engineers, the AC332 will have an extremely sleek, modern look.

The main rotor blades are mounted below the engine pair and feature seven composite blades with swept tips to reduce vibration and drag. The AHL can be equipped with AVIC engines procured in Russia, which domestic products cannot get rid of (8,000 hp AVIC WZ-20 - two will be installed). The tail rotor is located on the starboard side of the fin and contains a five-blade rotor system.

Although there is a separate design phase, the two countries will combine this early work to create the final product.

The Russian design offered appears to be an offshoot of its Mil Mi-26, with a twin-engine configuration, a seven-blade main rotor and a five-blade tail rotor on the starboard side along a single tail. Its shape largely mimics the heavy-duty trucks in use.

Both versions have a three-point chassis with telescoping. The lifting capacity must match the heavy type used in the civilian sector (search and rescue, firefighting, etc.), the construction industry and (possibly) the military, with the basic ability to move pallet supplies, artillery systems or entire armoured vehicles into the normally inaccessible world area.

In addition, light vehicles will fit in the main cabin of larger helicopters.

Specification

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