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WZ-5 / Z-5 unmanned helicopter

The old Z-5 (Zhishengji-5) should not be confused with the new, much smaller and aentirely unrelated Z-5 unmanned helicopter, a self-developed by the Nanjing Research Institute of Simulation Technology (NRIST). This military-civilian dual-purpose unmanned helicopter platform, which realizes three-dimensional program control, autonomous take-off and landing, fixed-point hovering, online mission planning, and multi-aircraft formation flying.

The maximum take-off weight is 450kg. The maximum mission load is 50-80kg, with excellent performance such as long endurance, high flight ceiling, high cruising speed, and large mission load, which can meet communication relay, intelligence reconnaissance, surveying and mapping navigation, target indication, artillery calibration and air-to-ground confrontation training Such military mission requirements have extremely high application value in civil fields such as geological survey, forest fire prevention, agricultural pest control, power line inspection, hazardous airspace sampling, environmental monitoring, traffic control, aerial photography and aerial photography.

The Z-5 unmanned helicopter is a self-developed military-civilian dual-purpose unmanned helicopter platform, which realizes three-dimensional program control, autonomous take-off and landing, fixed-point hovering, online mission planning, and multi-aircraft formation flying. The maximum take-off weight is 450kg. The maximum mission load is 50-80kg, with excellent performance such as long endurance, high flight ceiling, high cruising speed, and large mission load, which can meet communication relay, intelligence reconnaissance, surveying and mapping navigation, target indication, artillery calibration and air-to-ground confrontation training Such military mission requirements have extremely high application value in civil fields such as geological survey, forest fire prevention, agricultural pest control, power line inspection, hazardous airspace sampling, environmental monitoring, traffic control, aerial photography and aerial photography.

The Z-5 aircraft has a maximum take-off weight of 450 kg, a cruising speed of 30-160 kilometers per hour, and a battery life of up to 6 hours. It can realize fully automatic and autonomous flight, and has long-distance measurement and control capabilities. The power system is equipped with a turbocharger. The compressor and electronic booster control device have the characteristics of high power-to-weight ratio and stable and reliable work. The pod is a high-performance airborne gyro stabilization system, using an eight-axis stabilization four-axis active stabilization platform, equipped with a visible light high-definition digital camera and an infrared thermal imager. The working system can provide visible light and infrared real-time monitoring images, and can store SD video for later analysis.

After the system was debugged and qualified in May 2012, the company's unmanned helicopters participated in the "Sichuan Province 2012 "5-12" Disaster Prevention and Relief Comprehensive Practical Exercise" on May 11 and May 12, 2012, and Sichuan Electric Power Company Sponsored by the "5-12" large-scale blackout emergency drill of Sichuan Power Grid," flight tests and practical flight inspections were carried out at Shifang 500kV substation, 500kV Tanle first line, 500kV Yuepu line section and 500kV Shuzhou substation. The aircraft uses GPS navigation, infrared, ultraviolet detection and other technologies to fly along the wire. The closest distance to the tower can reach about 20 meters, and it is not restricted by terrain.

On February 28, the "Z-5" Unmanned Helicopter Inspection and Emergency Support Applicability Research Project jointly carried out by the Maintenance Company of the State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company and the 60th General Staff Office was successfully passed by the Sichuan Electric Power Company in Chengdu. , Northwestern Polytechnical University, China Southern Airlines Helicopter Research Institute, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and other experts. The review team experts agreed that the project has reached the domestic leading level in the application technology of unmanned helicopter power inspection.

Sichuan Maintenance Company has jurisdiction over 37 500 kV substations and 1 ±500 kV converter station with a substation capacity of 56 million kVA; 118 500 kV, ±500 kV, and ±800 kV transmission lines with a length of 9913.707 km. Because transmission lines are mostly located in high mountains and ridges, and affected by factors such as altitude, complex terrain, and personnel conditions, traditional line inspection methods are no longer suitable for the development of power grids.

It is reported that UAV line patrol is currently a relatively advanced line patrol technology in China, featuring short time and high efficiency. The State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company has been exploring drone line inspection technology, and has organized personnel to visit and learn in other places for many times to understand the use of this technology, and combined with the geographical and climatic characteristics of Sichuan to conduct repeated demonstrations at multiple flight inspection sites , Strive for the best application effect, effectively reduce the labor intensity of the operators, and continuously improve the work efficiency.

Z-5B/H Frigate Bird sea-based unmanned helicopter

The Z-5B/H unmanned helicopter can perform maritime surveillance, island and reef surveillance and other tasks. On 22 September 2020, the 6th China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology and Equipment Expo opened at the National Convention Center. In the context of the cancellation or postponement of many domestic defense exhibitions, the current China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology and Equipment Expo can be held as scheduled, which is indeed commendable. Although the number of exhibitors is not large, and the exhibition area is not very large, there are also many bright exhibits.

Carrier-based unmanned helicopters are becoming more and more popular in modern services and arms. Their take-off and landing and loading platforms have changed from land-based, vehicle-mounted, and air-borne to ship-based. The most widely used is the ship-based unmanned helicopter. In this regard, European and American countries were at the forefront at the beginning. The most famous ones are the MQ-8A/C "Fire Scout" of Northrop Grumman of the United States, Skeldar V-150/200 of Saab of Sweden, and Models such as the Camcoptor S-100 unmanned helicopter of Siebel, Austria.

For China's military research and development units, the start time in the field of ship-based unmanned helicopters is a bit late, but the starting point is relatively high at the beginning. At the 2020 China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology and Equipment Expo, China’s military industry R&D unit exhibited the newly developed Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter, and also gave it a resounding nickname - "Frigate Bird".

The aircraft is improved on the basis of the original Z-5B land-based unmanned helicopter. It adopts a heavy oil engine and an electric harpoon system to meet the requirements of shipboard adaptability. It has shipborne autonomous take-off and landing, programmed flight, and online missions. Planning and other functions; using redundancy control technology, there are multiple safety protection functions. By carrying different mission equipment, the Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter can perform tasks such as air patrol, emergency investigation and evidence collection, search and positioning, ship detection and identification, island and reef monitoring, and light and small emergency material throwing. It can be said that the Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter is capable of performing various mission types, whether it is in the military or civilian fields, and is called an "all-rounder".

The Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter does not use the MQ-8A/C "Firescout" modified manned helicopter research and development model, but uses a dedicated flight similar to Skeldar V-150/200 and Camcoptor S-100 Platform development model. Therefore, the aircraft can be improved in accordance with the requirements of the take-off and landing of the shipborne flight deck, especially the electric harpoon system is installed, which can adapt to the use requirements of the highest level 4 sea conditions. However, none of the above-mentioned foreign carrier-based unmanned helicopters are equipped with similar systems, and their take-off and landing adaptability is said by Chinese sources to be relatively poor.

In addition, the maximum take-off weight of the Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter is 480 kg, which is between the MQ-8A/C "Fire Scout" and Skeldar V-150/200 and Camcoptor S-100. Suitable for tonnage class carried by medium-sized ships, the maximum take-off weight of the MQ-8A is 1157 kg, and the MQ-8C has increased to 2700 kg. Although it can carry more loads and larger equipment, it has higher requirements for take-off and landing on the flight deck of the ship. However, most of the main warships of the U.S. Navy in active service are the "Arleigh Burke" class Aegis destroyers with a displacement of more than 9,000 tons. Therefore, the United States Northrop Grumman's choice of large-scale carrier-based unmanned helicopter design is no problem for the US Navy.The Z-5B/H unmanned helicopter can perform maritime surveillance, island and reef surveillance and other tasks.

Most European navies are mainly small and medium-sized surface ships. The flight deck and hangar area are small, and the take-off and landing of manned helicopters and hangar accommodation space are also considered. Therefore, they can only choose miniaturized ship-based ships. Unmanned helicopter. For example, the maximum take-off weight of Skeldar V-150 is 150 kg, and the maximum take-off weight of Camcoptor S-100 is 200 kg. Even the largest Skeldar V-200 is only 235 kg. Due to the small size and take-off weight, the load of the above-mentioned types of carrier-based unmanned helicopters is also very limited, and the maximum does not exceed 50 kg.

The 500 kg class of the Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter is closer to the actual needs of China. The active surface warships and maritime police law enforcement ships of the Chinese Navy are mostly medium-sized ships of more than 2,000 tons and less than 7,000 tons. On the surface ships of this level, the carrier-based unmanned helicopter with a maximum take-off weight of 1 to 2 tons, such as the MQ-8A/C "Fire Scout", is too large. The ship-based unmanned helicopter of the 200 kg class of the 100 type appears to have insufficient performance. Only the 500 kg class of the ship-borne unmanned helicopter such as the Z-5B/H is the most suitable. Moreover, the aircraft has a maximum mission load of 100 kg, a maximum cruising speed of 120 km/h, a practical ceiling of 3500 meters, and a battery life of 7 hours, which can fully meet the requirements of naval warships and maritime police law enforcement ships.

Z-5B/G

In modern warfare, there is a combat environment that has very demanding requirements for the performance of UAVs, and it is still an area where few people have set foot. This is the plateau and mountains. However, for some countries, it is precisely in the plateau and mountain environment that it is more necessary to develop and equip advanced drones, especially unmanned helicopters. Because in the plateau and mountainous combat environment, unmanned helicopters have relatively lower requirements for take-off and landing sites, and can take off without boosting or ejection.

Moreover, the flying characteristics of the unmanned helicopter itself, such as hovering, turning in place, and vertical lifting, are more suitable for the requirements of reconnaissance and surveillance, aiming and irradiation, and air-to-ground strikes in the plateau and mountain combat environment. This is something that fixed-wing drones cannot do. Therefore, at this China (Beijing) Military Intelligent Technology and Equipment Expo, the Z-5B/G lightweight high prototype unmanned helicopter exhibited by my country's military research and development unit can be regarded as one of the biggest highlights of the audience.

According to the introduction of exhibitors, the Z-5B/G lightweight high prototype unmanned helicopter is also an improved model of the Z-5B unmanned helicopter. By optimizing the rotor and engine, the aircraft has greatly improved its flight performance in plateau areas. The overall size of the aircraft is small, convenient and flexible to use. By carrying different mission equipment, it can perform reconnaissance instructions, positioning and shooting, damage assessment, border patrols and other tasks. The whole system can be mounted on a measurement, control, storage and transportation integrated vehicle that adopts a medium-sized, high-mobility, general-purpose tactical vehicle chassis to meet the requirements of railway transportation and realize global mobilization.

Although there are not many introduction texts from exhibitors, the amount of information revealed is still very large. First of all, the Z-5B/G lightweight high prototype unmanned helicopter uses a unique three-blade main rotor, while the previous Z-5B, including the Z-5B/H, are all two-blade main rotors. Generally speaking, the number of blades of the main rotor is matched with the engine power. The larger the number of main rotor blades, the more powerful the engine is required to drive, thereby generating greater lift and thrust. In order to adapt to the characteristics of thin air and low oxygen content in the plateau and mountain environment, the Z-5B/G lightweight prototype unmanned helicopter must use a stronger turbocharged piston engine to maximize output power, and retain Sufficient redundant power.

Thanks to the more powerful turbocharged piston engine and the more efficient three-blade main rotor, the maximum take-off weight of the Z-5B/G lightweight prototype unmanned helicopter has been increased to 530 kg, and the maximum mission load is 180. Kilogram, far more than the Z-5B/H carrier-based unmanned helicopter. Moreover, the hover ceiling of the aircraft has reached the poster 5000 meters, and the practical ceiling is as high as 6,500 meters above sea level, which can fully adapt to the combat requirements of the high plateau and mountain combat environment.

Judging from the main performance of the Z-5B/G light-duty prototype unmanned helicopter, it already has the ability to integrate inspection and combat, that is, it carries guided weapons and ammunition and a photoelectric sighting system to realize "discover and destroy". This is a qualitative leap for high-altitude and mountain warfare-the party with close air support capabilities will have an overwhelming firepower advantage over the other party who does not have this capability, even if the latter has already taken advantage of it. Topography. Moreover, according to the publicity materials of exhibitors, the Z-5B/G lightweight high prototype unmanned helicopter can also perform tasks such as electromagnetic interference, laser aiming and irradiation, and material supply.