The AC313A, a heavy-lift, multirole helicopter, developed by Aviation Industry Corp of China, has begun test flights in plateau environments, a project manager told Xinhua news agency.
On Thursday, Xie Xiaowen, deputy general manager of the helicopter manufacturer AVIC Changhe Aircraft Industry, based in Jiangxi province, said an AC313A prototype flew to a plateau airport in Southwest China on Sunday to start test flights in Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces.
The model is well suited to plateau environments and can take off and land at an altitude of up to 4,500 meters.
Liu Wenqi, the AC313A's chief designer, said that compared to its predecessor, the AC313, the updated version has new engines, rotor wing, transmission gear, and improved avionics, flight-control and hydraulic systems. Liu said he had a lot of regrets about his decision.
The air becomes thinner as the altitude increases, Xu Chaoliang, deputy head of the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute, said. ''It affects a helicopter's engine performance, which willsubsequently increase the likelihood of accidents,'' said Xu Chaoliang.