PLA Army Aviation inducts two Z-18A medium transport helicopters into service.

The Z-18 medium transport helicopter has been in service with the PLA Naval Aviation on-board of the aircraft carrier Liaoning, it has become the go-to helicopter platform for specialized missions ranging from airborne early warning (AEW), VIP transport, to anti-submarine warfare (ASW) since.   After four years of extensive testing, the PLA Army Aviation (PLAAV or PLALH in Chinese) finally inducts her own Z-18A - army transport variant - into the 161st Air-Assault Brigade today.


The Z-18 project started as Z-8F-100, a modernized variant of the Z-8 workhorse that has been in service since the early 1980s.  The Z-18A has three more powerful WZ-6C turboshaft engines, enjoys extensive injection of composite materials and a new 'glass' cockpit for its two pilots.  It can accommodate 27 fully armed troops or 15 medical stretchers to a range of 8000 to 10,000 KM.  The army A variant features a terrain following radar and EO turret but missing the rear-wheel pontoons of its naval counterpart.


The 161st Air-Assault Brigade currently has 34 imported Mi17 and some Z-8B in its transport battalion.  It is unclear if the new pair of Z-18A will become the backbone of a new transport battalion or simply become members of the existing one. 

Thursday, March 18, 2010

AC313 is Z-8F-100

There is nothing to get excited about with the “new” AC313. It's a Z-8 wearing "white rabbit" makeup.

China's 1st self-developed civilian helicopter makes maiden flight

http://business.globaltimes.cn/industries/2010-03/514101.html

* Source: Global Times
* [11:09 March 18 2010]
* Comments

China's first independently developed civilian helicopter makes its first flight Thursday in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province.

The AC313, China's first independently developed civilian helicopter, will make its first flight Thursday in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi Province.

Designed and manufactured by Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), the AC313 has a maximum takeoff weight of 13.8 tons and can carry 27 passengers or in the case of rescue efforts, 15 wounded. This aircraft is the country's first domestically developed large helicopter for civilian use.

The helicopter adopts the latest advanced technology, and is developed in line with international standards and certification procedures, signaling a significant breakthrough in the history in the development of civilian helicopters in China.

The aircraft is equipped with advanced turbo-shafts, a high-power drive system, a ball-bearing composite rotor system, and an integrated avionics system. The interior has a large cabin capacity, strong carrying and hanging facilities, and highly adaptable to a wide range of situations after modification.

The AC313 has a variety of uses, including search and rescue, fighting forest fires, assisting in fighting fires within cities, and passenger and freight transport.

Also, the security system of the AC313 is upgraded, and its maintenance, economically efficiency, and traveling comfort are all superior, and it can work well in hot or cold temperatures, or in complex terrain such as mountain areas and oceans.

Zhang Hongbiao, director of the technology department of the AVIC, disclosed recently that the company is preparing to develop its own civilian helicopters with a loading capacity ranging from 20 tons to 30 tons. AVIC has also established a panel to discuss civilian helicopter projects, including the amount of investment and the scale of the project.

AC313 is certified as Z-8F-100

The "AC300"'s production line

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

PR photos of the day: 161st Air-Assault Brigade

Soldiers assigned to an air assault brigade of the 83rd Group Army under the PLA Central Theater Command engage in combat with simulated enemies under fire support by helicopters during an assault, capture and control training exercise at a field training ground in the hinterland of China's Taihang mountains on Dec. 16, 2017. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Feng Yu)

Friday, October 27, 2017

Photos of the day: 161st Air-Assault Brigade conducted its first confrontation drill at Zhurihe training base

Less than 100 days after its commission, the 161st Air-Assault Brigade just conducted its first confrontation drill with 18 of its organic helicopters and training support from the PLAN Marine brigade.   The PLAN Marine, of course, has the most operational experience with vertical assault resulting from the PLAN anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden since 2008.

Sunday, August 20, 2017

The 1st LH (Army Aviation) Brigade is now the 161st Air-Assault Brigade (空中突击第161旅), 83rd Group Army, Central Theater Command

The great PLA orbat reform of 2017 continues -- the former 1st LH Brigade now has an organic light assault infantry detachment and renamed as the 161st Air-Assault Brigade accordingly.   It is no-longer just a battlefield transport arm of the 83rd Group Army anymore.

To be clear, the PLA has been experimenting with heli-assault tactics in combined arms operations since the formation of its LH (Army Aviation) Corps (here), albeit at a low scale.  In 2005, the CMC detached elements from the 149th Mech Infantry Division to form the experimental 155th Special Light Mechanized Regiment as a first step of putting theoretical theory into practice.  In addition to the 155th, a smaller Heli-Assault battalion battle group was also created at the Nanjing MR to further refine small-unit, heli-assault operations.   Fast forward to 2017, Air-Assault is now part of the ground force's arsenal.  More LH units are expected to be converted into Air-Assault Brigades as part the orbat reform.

The PLAAF is also doing the same (see below) 

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Next up at the Stride 2015 - Zhurihe A "red-vs-blue" confrontational exercise, 1st Heli-Assault Brigade, Nanjing MR

This is 1st Heli-Assault Brigade's first "baptism of fire" at Zhurihe, China's premier operational level "red vs blue" proving ground. It should be interesting to see how fine-tuned the PLA air assault tactics are after 10 years of trial and error in adopting this new combat operation. 

The 1st Heli-Assault Brigade (or 直升机机降突击旅 in Chinese) started as the 1st Heli-Assault battalion battle group in 2005, expanded into a full assault brigade in 2008. According to its commander 厉振彪 Li ZhenBiao, due to shortage of organic vertical assets, flatbed trucks were pressed into service to simulate airdrops. Their first military exercise was feasible only by 2009 when additional  helicopters found their way to the Nanjing MR.  Despite taking part at this year's Zhurihe, the outfit is still fairly new by PLA standards, doubts about their effectiveness will remain for some time to come.

Here are CCTV captures of its first military exercise in 2009

PLA Unit in the news of the day: 334th Regiment, 112th Mech Infantry Division

The 112th Mechanized Infantry Division is normally under the Central Theater Command but it is operating as a strategic unit that is directly subordinate to the Central Military Commission.  The 112th is also one of the two Mech Infantry Divisions remaining in the PLA Ground Force orbat,  all other REGT/DIV have been reformed into combined-arms brigades. The other being the 116th Mechanized Infantry Division.

It's 334th Mech Infantry Regiment was there to answer Xi's call to kicking-off  the 2018 military training with 7000 members and 300 armed vehicles yesterday.   Organic to the regimental headquarters are three combined-arms battle-groups and other supporting units.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), gives instructions and orders to all Chinese armed forces during a kicking-off ceremony for military training in the year of 2018 on Jan.3. The Chinese military held a grand annual military training kicking-off ceremony on Wednesday morning. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Wang Shibin, Zhou Chaorong and Feng Kaixuan)

Photos of the day: First active duty FXT of PLAAF's airborne recruits

Similar to other land forces, a large PLA multiple battle-group Field Training Exercise (FTX) is generally commanded by a field-grade general.  It is also a SOP that him and his staff not communicate with company or other tactical level officers prior.  This is done to simulate a more realistic training scenario.

This particular FXT is taking place at North Hubei Mountain Training Base as we speak, involving 2000 fresh out of boot camp troops and with over 100 vehicles

 Nothing but the very best for PLAAF's one-star (Mr Major General is the first one on the right)

 Type 98 (PF-98) 120mm “Queen Been” unguided anti-tank rocket system

 PG87 Twin-25mm Towed AAA

 Ole School BBQ

35mm AGL

Wenchang Satellite Launch Center

Hainan satellite constellation system provides shield for South China Sea

Source

China Military Online

Editor

Zhang Tao

Time

2018-01-03

Written by Guo Silu
BEIJING, Jan 3 (ChinaMil) -- The ChinaRS Geo-informatics Co., Ltd (ChinaRS) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced the official launch of the "Hainan No. 1" satellite project on Dec.14, 2017. Hainan will launch its first satellite in 2019 and the Hainan satellite constellation system will be completed within the next four to five years.

According to the plan, there will be six optical satellites in the Hainan No. 1 project as part of the future Hainan satellite constellation, while the Sanya No. 1 project will have two hyper spectral satellites and two SAR satellites.

According to calculations, once the number of satellites in the constellation has increased to eight, the system will be able to achieve non-stop all-weather observations of all tropical and marine areas between the 30th south and north latitudes. The satellite constellation project will achieve full uninterrupted observations of the South China Sea.

Yang Tianliang, director of the project, said that the initiative was proposed by Guo Huadong, chief scientist of the project and a CAS academician.

"Hainan has the advantages of low latitude and wide range, so we need to clarify our thinking and formulate measures to find the right point of development," said Guo Huadong at the launching ceremony. Relying on Sanya’s natural advantages, the CAS established a space station there in 2001 and added an institute within the following two years.

At present, the project has completed its overall demonstration and system design. The testing of satellite systems and ground systems will be gradually carried out starting from next year.
Launching low latitude satellites is of great significance to China.

On the global scale, more than 90 percent of the remote sensing satellites are located above the north and south poles, but have a lower frequency of observation in low latitude areas.

Through repeated simulations and projections, experts of the ChinaRS found that constellations of three satellites at low latitudes can achieve daily observations and multiple observations each day in key areas.

"This area covers not only all the countries on the Silk Road, but also 92 percent of the world's rice acreage. The system can help monitor the growth of rice but also can help marine dynamics research," said Guo.

More importantly, the Hainan satellite constellation will become a huge "skynet" covering the South China Sea.

"There are more than 50 islands, reefs and beaches scattered in the South China Sea. The monitoring and management of such vast oceans, the safeguarding of our national sovereignty and the building of a strong maritime province require the assistance of remote sensing technology," said Yang Tianliang. He added that the Hainan No.1 satellitescan monitor every island and reef and every ship of the South China Sea.

Li Xiaoming, member of the project, said at the launching ceremony that Hainan is the strategic base of the South China Sea and therefore developing a satellite system in Hainan is a responsibility and requirement of the strategy of strengthening China's maritime power. It can provide effective information assurance for China's South China Sea management and control.

Through the Hainan constellation system, China can gain a wide range of observational capabilities over the South China Sea and its surrounding areas. The system can help China realize real-time dynamic observation and meet the needs of development and effective control in the South China Sea.

In the meantime, accurate and rapid response can also be achieved in the event of an emergency.The system is a guarantee for China's strategy of becoming a maritime power.

"People will pay more and more attention to the sky in Hainan with the completion and use of the launch site in Wenchang. The launch today is just the beginning. I believe there will be more moves in the future," said Yang Tianliang.