Chinese super-middle class helicopter receives type certificate
Z-15, Chinese version of the European H175 helicopter, CAAC certified, original – no
The Avicopter AC352 (also known as Z-15), the Chinese version of the 7-ton Airbus Helicopters H175 helicopter, has been type-certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The CAAC announced this on July 26.
“Airbus Helicopters congratulates [Chinese Aircraft Corporation] AVIC on this important step leading up to the commissioning and mass production of the AC352,” Airbus Helicopters said in a statement.
The original super-medium class (European classification) H175 helicopter has not yet received a CAAC type certificate. Airbus Helicopters hopes this will happen before the end of 2022.
In March 2019, the Ministry of Transportation of China ordered two H175s for search and rescue work. The Hong Kong Government Air Service is already using this type of helicopter for search and rescue missions. The first H175 in a search and rescue variant arrived in 2018; they now have a fleet of seven cars.
The AC352 first flew in December 2016, followed by a flight test program. The proportion of locally manufactured components in the helicopter is high, including WZ16 turboshaft engines based on the Safran Ardiden 3C. Multipurpose AC352 is designed to carry 14-16 passengers. and is mainly intended for offshore transportation.
In 2016, after the first flight of the AC352, then-Safran CEO Cyrille Petch called the WZ16 “a milestone in our partnership with China’s aerospace industry.”
