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Harbin Z-9 (Haitun)

1994 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History

China's Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Company began locally licensed production of the Air France AS365 Dauphin in 1981, named Harbin Z-9 (NATO: "Haitun"). The original AS365 - a multi-role helicopter - was developed in the early 1970s and flew for the first time in 1975, with serial production beginning in 1978. The militarized version that followed was the AS565 "Black Panther", which greatly increased the range of this type of battlefield.

The first Z-9 was built in China with a kit provided by Aerospatiale and officially entered service with the Chinese armed forces in 1994. In subsequent production, the series reached 200 vehicles, including a special armed assault variant called "Z-9WZ".

AS365 is now associated with the Eurocopter brand label since Aerospatiale was discontinued in July 2000.

The Chinese Z-9 retains much of the look of its French counterpart, proving that the design is sturdy and durable. The hull is streamlined, and the two-seat cockpit is very forward in configuration. Both pilots have great vantage points in their respective side-by-side seats, as most of the front panel is transparent, allowing unrestricted viewing up, down, forward and side by side.

The nose assembly is a short round cap. Behind the cockpit is the passenger cabin, which is dominated by large rectangular windows on the outside. The engine is located on top of the nacelle and houses two turboshaft engines that drive the four-blade main rotor and a tail rotor housed in a fenestron package. Fenestron components both counteract the inherent torque effects of the main rotor blades (which tend to turn the aircraft in the opposite direction of rotation) and reduce the noise level of the tail rotor to some extent.

Fenetron hoods, while effective, tend to be a more expensive option than traditional open-air tail rotors. The tail rotor is driven by an electric motor through a shaft running in the tail shaft. The vertical tails are located on either side of the stem and extend through short pylons. There is also a main vertical rear wing on the Fenestron cover, which is subtly integrated into the design.

The Z-9 has a fully retractable wheeled tricycle landing gear with a pair of rubber tire wheels on the nose gear and one associated with each main gear leg.

Since its introduction, the Z-9 has been produced or promoted under several brands, starting with the basic model Z-9 based on the AS365N1 Dauphin mentioned above. The similar Z-9A was then based on the improved AS365N2. The Z-9A-100 was a pilot vehicle focused on China and later became the production Z-9B. Manufactured in Harbin, the AS565 Black Panther, codenamed Z-9C, is a naval anti-ship variant of the Pakistan Navy, equipped with a submersible sonar array, radar warning receiver (RWR) and torpedo support, among others.

The Z-9W (also known as the WZ-9) is a specially armed version with pylons on the sides of the fuselage (behind the side hatches). These pylons can mount various gun options (rockets, gun pods, rocket pods, etc.) as needed. Z-9W is exported as "Z-9G". Z-9WA supports night vision devices.

The WZ-19 is the stealth attack helicopter version of the Z-9 series, currently in development. The design provides tandem seats for its two pilots and focuses on dedicated attack capabilities protected by an appropriate countermeasure suite and crew when flying at low altitudes in hostile environments.

As we all know, the brand's prototype crashed in September 2010, which was undoubtedly a setback for the whole plan. The H410A introduced the WZ8C engine, as well as a mast-mounted sight (MMS), allowing the helicopter to remain partially hidden behind cover while identifying and tracking targets on the horizon.

H425 is a VIP passenger transporter based on the H410A brand.

Only a small amount of export data has been recorded for the Z-9 series so far, and supply Bolivia, Cape Verde, Kenya, Laos, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia and Pakistan. Pakistan is the largest foreign operator of its kind, with 12 active, which is not surprising given the close military ties between the two countries.