FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Various of helicopters

Beijing, China - Sept 29, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
2. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wu Mingzhong, deputy chief designer of Helicopter Research and Development Institute; Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) (starting with shot 1):
"The techniques of engines were improved, becoming the turbo-shaft engines dedicatedly for helicopters. The lifetime, maintainability and reliability have greatly improved. Many in-use helicopters and some amateur helicopters are second generation helicopters."

FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of helicopters

Beijing, China - Sept 29, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wu Mingzhong, deputy chief designer of Helicopter Research and Development Institute; Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) (starting with shot 3):
"The lifetime of helicopters was largely improved. The lifetime of rotors and airframe structures of third helicopters reached 10,000 hours. The typical helicopters including UH-60, AH-64, and our Z-10 are third generation helicopters."

FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of helicopters flying

Tianjin Municipality, north China - Oct 10, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
6. Various of helicopters flying

Beijing, China - Sept 29, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Wu Mingzhong, deputy chief designer of Helicopter Research and Development Institute; Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) (starting with shot 6):
"We will improve the speed of helicopters from 300 kilometers per hour to more than 400 and 500 kilometers per hour. There is a huge room for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, which will adopt artificial intelligence. So we are all exploring the development of the fifth generation helicopters."

Tianjin Municipality, north China - Oct 10, 2019 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
8. Various of helicopter flying
9. Various of helicopters on display

Helicopters are experiencing remarkable upgrading from one generation to the next, with achieving a faster speed as the breakthrough, according to Chinese helicopter designers.

In the 1940s and 1950s, China's first generation helicopters were produced and put into operation. Z-5 belongs to this group. The first generation helicopters used piston engines and their vanes were made of wood.

With the development of engines and materials, the second generation helicopters were born in the 1960s and 1970s.

"The techniques of engines were improved, becoming the turbo-shaft engines dedicatedly for helicopters. The lifetime, maintainability and reliability have greatly improved. Many in-use helicopters and some amateur helicopters are second generation helicopters," said Wu Mingzhong, deputy chief designer of Helicopter Research and Development Institute under the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).

In the 1980s and 1990s, the third generation helicopters have developed with further improvement in engine power and mass use of composite. The lifetime and maintainability have been greatly enhanced.

"The lifetime of helicopters was largely improved. The lifetime of rotors and airframe structures of third helicopters reached 10,000 hours. The typical helicopters including UH-60, AH-64, and our Z-10 are third generation helicopters," said Wu.

Although the fourth generation helicopters such as America's RAH-66 attack helicopters were produced thanks to stealthy and intelligent techniques, in actual use, the third generation helicopters are still the most widely used. That brings researchers to think about the next generation helicopters regarding improving the speed as a breakthrough.


"We will improve the speed of helicopters from 300 kilometers per hour to more than 400 and 500 kilometers per hour. There is a huge room for the development of unmanned aerial vehicles, which will adopt artificial intelligence. So we are all exploring the development of the fifth generation helicopters," said Wu.