Features
Innovations
UAVs
New unmanned helicopter debuts in China
September 12, 2013 By China.org.cn
Sept. 11, 2013, Tianjin, China - China's latest-concept unmanned helicopter, JY-8, made its debut on Thursday at the Second China Helicopter Exposition in the northern city of Tianjin.
The helicopter, which does not feature a
tail rotor, can reach a maximum speed of 400 km per hour. It is
expected to be subjected to trials in 2015, said Zhu Yinchui, an
engineer with the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute.
The coaxial double-oared JY-8 adopts
similar high-speed technologies as the X2, an experimental helicopter
developed by U.S. aircraft manufacturer Sikorsky Aircraft.
China has mastered the core technologies
of unmanned helicopters, and has started serialized production, said
Fang Yonghong, who is in charge of the research of unmanned helicopter
technologies with the Aviation Industry Corporation of China.
The company has developed unmanned
helicopters with take-off weights up to one tonne. The one-tonne
aircraft has a task load of 150 km and can reach a maximum altitude of
4,000 meters at a top speed of 220 km per hour, Fang said.
The range of low-cost and highly mobile
helicopters is intended for uses ranging from communication relaying,
precise positioning, to aid in emergency rescue operations, border
patrol and scientific surveys.
