AC312C – a new family member
The Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG) showed off a family of scale models that included upgraded versions of the AC312 at the China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin.
Based on the Airbus Helicopters Dauphin that this Aviation Corporation of China (AVIC) subsidiary has been manufacturing since 1981, the AC312 is the original base model of this family.
An AVIC HAIG spokesman said the succeeding AC312A variant, which possesses a 641km range, was designed with new avionics and a more powerful engine for better high-altitude performance.
The AC312A has been in production for ‘several years’, according to the spokesman, and has already been ‘exported to several countries’. It is powered by twin WZ-8F engines, a licensed version of Turbomeca’s Arriel 2 engine.
Of greatest interest was the display of a model of the 4t AC312C, which, although still based on the Dauphin, features drastic changes in the fuselage design.
It retains the Dauphin’s fenestron shrouded tail rotor, even though a design shown two years ago had a conventional four-bladed tail rotor.
The AC312C’s preliminary design review was completed in June, and a critical design review will occur in a few weeks' time. Its target for certification with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) is 2018, a year after its AC312E sibling.
The scale model at the Tianjin show showed the AC312C in EMS configuration, with a clamshell-type door in the rear of the fuselage that allows two stretchers to be loaded. However, the AVIC sales representative said the twin-engine craft is aimed at the general aviation market.
The AC312C is especially designed to operate in hot and high environments such as those found in China’s mountainous and plateau regions, he explained.
The AC312E is another variant currently in development, and certification is planned for 2017. This version is described as a simple technological evolution of the AC312A.
Based on a contract awarded in the first quarter of this year, Rockwell Collins is responsible for both the AC312C's and E’s avionics. This will be based on the company's Proline 21 system. However, the specific power plant has not yet been disclosed. It will be capable of flying 500km whilst carrying a 600kg payload after taking off at an altitude of 4,500m.
Unlike the retractable wheels of the AC312A, the newer design uses skids. The tail boom is higher to allow the rear cabin doors to be fitted.
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