Russian President Vladimir Putin's inauguration has ended, and it comes after rumors that Putin would make China his first country to visit after taking office. Before and after Putin's inauguration, the Russian media has repeatedly published relevant reports to build momentum for it, and Putin's assistant Ushakov has also publicly admitted this rumor in front of the media, and also revealed that Putin will not only visit Beijing, but also visit other Chinese cities.
However, just when the outside world thought that Putin's first visit to China after taking office was a sure thing, he made a halfway way to bite the gold, and the news said that Putin is likely to visit Turkey in the near future, and some Russian media are also reporting on this. Looking back at this time, Turkey did carry out frequent actions to strengthen relations with Russia, especially after the terrorist attacks in Moscow, and the speed and thoroughness of Turkey's actions were visible to the world. It is reported that Turkey has repeatedly arrested "Islamic State" terrorists and related personnel, and has achieved a lot of results.
However, in comparison, the outside world is still more inclined to Putin's first visit to China, but it is very likely that a visit to Turkey has been included in the itinerary. According to the analysis of professionals, the Russian side deliberately released the news of its visit to Turkey at a sensitive moment, after all, no matter how friendly the international relations are, there are still games. As we all know, US President Joe Biden has been trying to win over China in order to be re-elected, and although China has always shown a greater preference for Russia, Russia is of course happy to see that China's support for Russia has become firmer.
According to some sources, Putin is likely to give China a "big gift" during his visit to China, and it has been reported by the global network that Russia is preparing to build another natural gas pipeline, which can transport 35 billion cubic meters of natural gas to China every year after completion. There is no doubt that this is a win-win move for China and Russia, so there is speculation that Putin will discuss this plan with China during his visit. In addition, some people speculate that Putin is also very likely to take the opportunity of his visit to China to discuss with the Chinese side the joint development of the AC-332-AHL heavy helicopter, but judging from the progress of the project, it is best for the Chinese side to do it alone.
As for the reason for suggesting that China go it alone, it is closely related to the fact that the development status of heavy helicopters in China, the United States and Russia is different from the different needs. Looking at the CH-53 series of the United States, its maximum load can reach 16 tons, and the flight range in this state can reach 840 kilometers, and the CH-53K has the ability to take off and land on amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers, and the use characteristics are flexible enough. Looking at the Russian Mi-26, although its maximum load can reach 20 tons, the flight range in this state is only half of that of the CH-53. The best Z-8L in service in China, although the flight range can achieve 800 kilometers in the maximum load state, the maximum load is only 6 tons, and the equipment that can be hung is pitiful, and the number of soldiers who can be fully loaded is also very small.
Combined with the actual needs of the PLA in the field of amphibious landing operations, and the gap between the Chinese heavy helicopter and the United States and Russia, the AC-332-AHL that the PLA desires must be a heavy helicopter with a large enough load capacity, can still achieve a long range and combat radius in the maximum load state, is not afraid of long-distance flight at sea, has strong aviation projection capabilities, and can take off and land on the Type 075 amphibious assault ship.
On the other hand, the Russian army now has the Mi-26 in its hands, and all it needs is an upgraded heavy helicopter with little investment and quick results. What's more, at present, the Russian army is still frugal and focused on the war against Ukraine, and it will not be able to spend a lot of money and energy on the project. In this way, it is more appropriate for China to delve into it on its own.