Z-8 and Z-18 transport helicopter - family & versions

Xinjiang Army Military Air Brigade's Z-8G (Z-18A)
新疆軍区某陸軍航空旅団のZ-8G(Z-18A)
From Oedo Look like they are in service now

Hendrik_2000 said:

Xinjiang Army Military Air Brigade's Z-8G (Z-18A)
新疆軍区某陸軍航空旅団のZ-8G(Z-18A)

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Huu ... looks like like LH911xxx but I expected LH971xxx ?!!

But al least the SAT-dome is back again.

Another shot

Looks good

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.

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to a range of 8000 to 10,000 KM...
Are you kidding??

huitong said:

to a range of 8000 to 10,000 KM...
Are you kidding??

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Typo 800 -1000

Take a look at the red arrows, are those wires for blades deicing?

China should start adding in refuelling probe for this chopper

Give the army vital but very dangerous air to air refuelling for rotary wing

Btw I like this chopper

Chinese army finally accepts Z-18A helicopters into service
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Following more three years of testing, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) accepted into service the Z-18A medium transport helicopters.

According to CCTV reports, the first Z-18A helicopter developed by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) was formal acceptance into service of PLA in 2017.

The Z-18A is a domestically developed medium transport helicopter. It can carry up to 30 passengers and has a range of about 1,000 kilometers. Alternatively, it can carry about 14 stretchers, plus medical attendants. The Z-18A is more powerful than the earlier Z-8B model or the MI-171 helicopter manufactured by Russia.

More:

The Z-18 uses composite materials for the rotor blade and titanium main rotor. It is equipped with a modern integrated digital avionics system and advanced electronic flight instrument landing system.

More:

The helicopter can operate during both daytime and nighttime and can fly in extreme weather conditions.

The army version of Z-18 has a further protruding nose section. A terrain-following radar is fitted under the nose. It is expected to replace the old Z-8A.

Now Jane picked up the news about recent induction of Z18

CAIG Z-18 transport helicopter looks to have entered service with PLAGF
Richard D Fisher Jr - Jane's Defence Weekly
09 January 2018

Chinese state television showed on 2 January footage of the Z-18A transport helicopter being deployed during PLAGF exercises in Xinjiang. Source: CCTV
The Changhe Aircraft Industries Group (CAIG) Z-18A transport helicopter has entered service with the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF), a news report by the state-owned broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) has suggested.

The network released video footage on 2 January showing the platform being operated by a PLA Army Aviation unit during military exercises in China’s western Xinjiang-Uighur Autonomous Region: a likely indication that it has entered service.

The Z-18A is based on the commercial three-engine Avicopter AC313 multirole medium-lift transport helicopter developed by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). First seen in December 2014 in Chinese state media, the platform is reported to have undergone high-altitude tests on the Tibetan Plateau in January 2015.

The army-specific Z-18A could replace the PLAGF’s ageing S-70C-2 and/or Z-8B platforms and provide the force with an enhanced high-altitude medium-lift capability.

Naval variants of the Z-18 include the Z-18J airborne early warning and the Z-18F anti-submarine warfare helicopters. The Z-18A differs from the naval versions in that it has an extended nose with a terrain-following radar and an electro-optical system.

However, it uses the same three WZ6C turboshaft engine configuration, lightweight hull design, and ‘glass’ cockpit as the naval versions. It has a maximum take-off weight of about 13 tons, can carry about 27 fully armed troops, has a range of up to 1,000 km, and features an aft-ramp for offloading small vehicles.

The latest development comes amid media reports that the PLAGF is setting up new air assault brigades to consolidate army aviation helicopter units with lightly armed but mechanised air assault infantry battalions.

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