Production of two models of Ukrainian helicopters was launched in China

The Chinese Aviation Plant manufactures two models of helicopters that were developed and produced in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian publication ” Kryla ” writes about this .

We are talking about the AK1-3 two-seater helicopter, which was produced in Poltava at the facilities of the Aerocopter company. In China, it was named ZH281. The four-seater two-engine “Kadet” with the index ZH 482 is also manufactured in China.

A Chinese television report filmed at the Shanxi Helicopter Development and Manufacturing Base in Taiyuan City said the factory produces two types of helicopters – a two-seater with one engine and a four-seater with two engines. These helicopters can be used in general aviation, tourism, training, rescue services, firefighting and medical purposes.

On the basis of the enterprise, there is a collective for the design and research of helicopters. The manufacturer is a leader in China in the technology of production of gearboxes and propellers. According to a representative of the factory, the annual production of helicopters can reach 300 units with a turnover of 810 million yuan.

The AK1-3 helicopter was developed in Poltava. Since the beginning of serial production, which started in 2009, the domestic enterprise “Aerocopter” has produced more than a hundred of these aircraft.

In 2020, it was reported that China made a drone for the Navy based on the AK1-3 light helicopter.

In Russia, at the “Army-2022” forum, a multifunctional unmanned helicopter with increased cargo capacity BAS-750 was presented, which turned out to be a stolen AK1-3.

The KT-112 “Kadet” helicopter was developed by the “Vertikal” KB. SE “Ivchenko-Progres” and SE “Antonov” participated in the development. The development of the helicopter was partially financed from the state budget.

There was an attempt to resume the production of the “Kadet” helicopter at the facilities of “410 TSA Plant” in Kyiv. There was information that the military version of the helicopter was ready to be ordered by Angola. But the matter did not progress beyond a few photos of helicopter hulls in the factory workshops. Further information about this project did not appear.