HC120 Utility Helicopter
Last updated: 4 June 2007
The EC 120 Colibri (also known as Hummingbird) is a lightweight, single-engine helicopter developed by an industrial partnership comprising Eurocopter, the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) and Singapore Technologies Aerospace. The helicopter is locally built in Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (HAMC) as the HC120. Eight examples of the helicopter were delivered to the PLA Army Aviation Corps in 2005 for training role, with more units expected to be delivered in the future.
In 1993, CATIC entered a joint venture with Singapore Technologies Aerospace and Eurocopter to develop and build the EC 120 lightweight helicopter. The joint design team is based in the Eurocopter development and manufacturing centre at Marignane in France. Eurocopter carries out the final assembly, testing and certification and is also responsible for the manufacture of the seats, rotor systems and the motor transmission. Singapore Technologies manufactures the cockpit instrument panel, the tailboom, fins and the cabin doors. CATIC supplies the cabin, landing gear and the fuel system produced by its domestic partner HAMC.
The EC 120 made its maiden flight in 1997, with the Nozaki Sangyo in Osaka, Japan being the launch customer. Since then, about 400 examples of the EC 120 have been delivered to more than 100 civilian and military customers in 30 countries. An agreement to build a second EC 120 assembly line in Harbin, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province was signed by the partnership companies in November 2003. The PLA Army Aviation Corps became the first customer of the Chinese-assembled EC120, designated HC120 for the Chinese market. An order for eight examples was received, plus 50 options. The helicopter entered service with the PLA in 2005.
The single engine EC 120 was designed to meet both civilian and military requirements. The five-seat helicopter can be used for a range of missions including transportation, pilot training, air patrol, surveillance and reconnaissance, and medical evacuation. Optional equipments onboard include air conditioning, radio-navigation, sand filters, sling, electrically-controlled mirror, and windshield wiper.
The helicopter's 10m-diameter, three-bladed Spheriflex main rotor rotates clockwise. The main rotor blades are of impact and corrosion resistant composite construction. The 0.75m-diameter fenestron tail rotor has eight asymmetric composite blades. The fixed skid landing gear incorporates the full width passenger and crew boarding step. The cockpit of the helicopter is configured for single pilot operation under Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Dual controls and dual VFR instrumentation are fitted optionally and the helicopter can be fully configured for training. |
