Z-YY Advanced Heavy Lift 30-ton Helicopter
As of 2009 Avicopter was evalulating developing an Advanced Heavy Lift Helicopter, possibly to be built jointly with Russian Helicopters, with a gross weight of 30 tons. According to international standard, heavy-lift helicopters generally refers to a take-off weight of more than 20 tons, a division in line with the definition of military standards. Russia plans to invite a multinational cooperation, including China, in the development and production of the Mi-46 heavy transport helicopters. In recent years, AVIC has actively conducted international technical cooperation, which included the sixth and seventh framework of aviation technical cooperation with the EU, and the technical cooperation with Russia, etc. In October, 2009, in the testimony of Premier Wen Jiabao and Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, AVIC and Russia Helicopter Stock Company signed the Understanding Memorandum on Jointly Developing Heavy Civil Helicopters, which meant that the cooperation between thetwo countries in the field of helicopter industry entered a new phase.
Avicopter has said it is also studying building a larger aircraft, the Advanced Heavy Lifter, in cooperation with Russian Helicopters. Russian sources have given the mass as 30 tons. But Avicopter rejects an assumption that the helicopter would be based on the Mil Mi-46 design that has been awaiting full-scale development since the early 1990s. The Mi-46 is not big enough, and the giant 56 ton Mi-26 is too big. Avicopter believes a 30 ton gross weight can satisfy most requirements. The Sikorsky CH-53 and Boeing CH-47 bracket that weight. The CH-53E Sea Stallion has a maximum takeoff weight of 33,000 kg and a maximum payload of 14,500 kg, while the CH-47 Chinook has a maximum takeoff weight of about 23,000 kg and a maximum payload of 12,000 kg. It can be assumed that a helicopter of such size would be particularly useful to the armed forces.
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