AC3131A makes its first flight
 

Civvy version of their military Z-8L made its first flight yesterday...(am awaiting cues of Ctrl V here lol). Anyhow powered by three French Safran ANETO-1C turboshafts engines, the transmission, the powertrain arrangement, the rotor blades and of course the electronics / avionics are all new.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....3c1a58d3e5.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....02979339fa.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....8386625a25.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....01345284ff.jpg

Looks familiar.

So, have they copied the S-92 or the EH-101? Or, just a bit of both? 🤷‍♂️

Didn't steal much as they already had them.

Super "Super Frelon" from the '60's.

Cockpit section appears to be redesigned on design of S-92....the rest is still basically based on Super Frelon

Apparently, this "Brobdingnagian Helicopter" is the answer to everything!

The manufacturer has also equipped the aircraft with new mechatronics, avionics, flight control, steering systems, a health and usage monitoring system, and an anti-icing device for rotor blades.

But, there's still more!

The revamped wide-body fuselage gives the helicopter more internal space. According to Liu Wenqi, the chief designer of the helicopter, “The AC313A switched to use the world’s most powerful turboshaft engines, as well as new reducers, a tilted tail rotor, improved rotor and control systems, and a wide-body structure, giving a comprehensive boost to the chopper’s performance.”

https://eurasiantimes.com/china-unve...an-helicopter/