Recently, the website of the US theater of operations published a set of pictures of CH-53K heavy helicopters hanging F-35C. Although the F-35C has its engines, onboard equipment and outer wings removed, the total weight is still as high as 10 tons. The CH-53K flew 257 kilometers with it on its head, and refueled in the air on the way, demonstrating its strong transport capabilities and excellent handling. #MCN首发激励计划#
In fact, the maximum hanging weight of the CH-53K can reach 16 tons, which far exceeds the maximum take-off weight of China's largest domestically produced helicopter, the Z-8G! The gap between China and the United States in the field of helicopters can be seen.
Some people say that this is nothing, the world's largest helicopter is the Mi-26, with a maximum load and hanging weight of 20 tons. However, the maximum take-off weight of the Mi-26 is as high as 56 tons, and the engine power is about 23,000 horsepower, while the CH-53K is 39 tons, and the horsepower is almost the same! That is to say, the remaining power of the CH-53K is greater, the handling ability is stronger, and the ability to resist bad weather is better when lifting the cargo, so it can accurately align the fuel pipe while hanging a 10-ton heavy load. Therefore, the positioning of the two aircraft is completely different, the role of the Mi-26 is a transport helicopter and can only fly steadily, while the CH-53K is a multi-purpose helicopter that is capable of carrying out assault missions deep behind enemy lines.
It is precisely because of this that the heavy-duty helicopter jointly developed by China and Russia is not an improved version of the Mi-26, but a 38-ton heavy multi-purpose helicopter developed from scratch. According to the cooperation agreement, the Russian side will be responsible for the development and manufacturing of some components, while the Chinese side will be responsible for the design and manufacture of the fuselage and avionics systems, and the engines will be based on two improved versions of Ukrainian D-136 turboshaft engines. In addition, the production line for heavy helicopters will also be set up in China.
However, with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Chinese and Russian heavy helicopter projects have almost come to a standstill. In the current situation, Russia needs to devote more resources to the battlefield in Ukraine, and in terms of heavy helicopters, they will devote more energy to the Mi-26T2V, an improved model of the Mi-26. However, this model still uses the old Ukrainian D-136 turboshaft engine, and it was out of stock to Russia after the Crimea incident, and after the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Madasic was blown up by Russian missiles. As a result, not only are the engines of Chinese and Russian heavy helicopters missing, but even Russia's own production of Mi-26 helicopters can only use engines in stock, or the retired helicopters will be dismantled and overhauled and then reused.
Russia is also working on an alternative model, the PD-12V turboshaft engine, which is said to have a horsepower of up to 14,000 horsepower, compared to 11,400 for the D-136. However, the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict has greatly delayed the development work, and the horsepower of this engine is too large, and the difficulty of development is comparable to that of the sky, and it is difficult for China to count on it in the short term.
Fortunately, China has been developing a 5000KW turboshaft engine, which has slightly less horsepower than the American CH-53K engine, but if it uses 3 units, it can still meet the needs of heavy helicopters.
Considering that the end of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is unexpected, it is necessary to end the joint development of China's heavy helicopter project with Russia. In the future, like the C929 large passenger aircraft, China will completely dominate the entire project, and Russia will only be responsible for the research and development of individual core components, such as the final drive and rotor that Russia is best at.
President Putin is about to visit China in May, and the two sides will sign more cooperation projects, and we can pay attention to whether there is any new news about heavy helicopters. However, even if the two sides start to cooperate this year, considering the difficulty of research and development of core components such as engines, if China's heavy helicopters want to be put into service, I am afraid it will take at least another 10 years, and everyone must be psychologically prepared for this.