Heavy helicopters are an important weapon of the country. So far, only the United States and the former Soviet Union can produce them. Even Europe cannot understand them. They are rarer and more valuable than nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons.
It really can¡¯t be bought with money.
Even if it can be bought with money, there will be too many additional conditions behind it to cause a headache. Take Russia as an example. The economy has become such a mess that those who are short of money can only wear their pants. But in the Mi-26 heavy The helicopter still comes with an additional condition that it cannot participate in military activities.
As long as you are satisfied, you can take it away at any time for 30 million US dollars; but if you are not satisfied, I'm sorry, I won't sell it for any money.
This is true even for Russia, let alone the United States, whose domestic troops cannot even touch it.
Under such circumstances, the importance of the Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopter becomes more and more prominent. Let alone 178 million yuan, even if it is two or three times more expensive, the troops still need to equip it. After all, this uniqueness and importance coexist. The troops are really short of aviation equipment.
So the head of the headquarters, who has been like a steel gun all his life and seldom compromises, finally chose to give in before the unit price of 178 million yuan. However, the order quantity was not 287, but only 8 Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopters were purchased.
?? 4 of them are assigned to the Army Aviation Force and are used to explore the tactics and tactics of the air assault force.
The other four were given to the Marine Corps to strengthen vertical landing training.
It¡¯s not that the head of the headquarters doesn¡¯t want to meet the requirements of other troops. He is really short of money and can¡¯t afford to apply for equipment for all the troops, so he can only pick up the most important ones first.
After weighing the situation, the head of the headquarters selected the Army Aviation Corps and the Marine Corps, which represent the future rapid response combat forces, as the priority equipment units for heavy helicopters.
As the Special Forces Group under the Army Aviation Corps, it was of course not allowed to become the main receiving unit for the four Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopters. Based on this, the Army Aviation Special Forces Group was immediately strengthened, and the original battalion-level frame was actually only the company. The level scale has been completely expanded to the battalion level.
??Coupled with the 4 Wuzhi-9 armed helicopters that have just been finalized by Binjiang Helicopter Factory, and the 6 legal "Antelope" armed helicopters originally equipped.
The unit has a total of 6 Z-9 helicopters, 12 Z-12 helicopters, 4 Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopters, 4 WZ-9 armed helicopters, "Antelope" armed helicopters, plus 2 electronic warfare units modified from the Z-12d Helicopters, and a stealth-modified Z-12y "Silent" special helicopter,
With all mobilized, the Army Aviation Special Forces Brigade can deliver the strength of an entire reinforced company to an area 300 kilometers away within two hours.
If it receives logistical support from other troops, it can maneuver to an area 1,800 kilometers away in a leapfrog manner within 24 hours to launch a surprise attack.
Not only that, thanks to the equipment of special helicopters and armed helicopters, the Army Aviation Special Forces Brigade has particularly strong independent combat capabilities and can carry out independent combat missions in unfamiliar areas without any support.
If this were not the case, it would be impossible for the Army Aviation Forces to equip the Special Forces Group with four Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopters and write in the summary report: The Army Aviation Special Forces Group finally looks a bit like an air assault force.
However, under the glamorous appearance, as the commander of the Army Aviation Special Forces Brigade, Jiang Liang is on the verge of tears. To be more precise, he is the only one in the army who can understand the helpless dilemma of the head of the headquarters amidst the indignation. .
There is no way, it is true that Zhi-8plus heavy-duty helicopters are not only expensive to purchase, but also difficult to use and maintain on a daily basis.
Forget about the average cost of 20,000 yuan per hour. The key is that spare parts are ridiculously expensive. An ordinary screw costs 1,500 yuan. A slightly more complicated one costs 7,000 to 8,000 yuan, which is normal, and even tens of thousands is not uncommon. .
So much so that the officers and soldiers of the special force responsible for maintenance said that the Zhi-8plus heavy-duty helicopter was simply made of gold.
However, from the day it was born, it was destined to become a gluttonous gold-swallowing beast. Jiang Liang had no intention of retreating. The reason was that the cost of using the Zhi-8plus heavy-duty helicopter was a bit high, but so It also works really well.
You must know that the former Army Aviation Special Forces Group was known as an air assault force, but if measured by the standards of the American 101st Air Assault Division, it is not even a forward assault reconnaissance company.
At best, it is just a group of light infantry achieving long-range maneuvers by helicopters. There is neither fire support from artillery nor cover from light armor.
It¡¯s not that the Army Aviation Special Forces Brigade doesn¡¯t want these support equipment, the problem is that the 12The helicopter simply can't carry this kind of thing, so it's useless even if it's equipped.
However, when the Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopter was added, the organizational structure of the Army Aviation Special Forces Group was completely changed.
In addition to the elite infantry, an artillery company equipped with 6 vehicle-mounted 107mm rocket launchers and 6 Russian-made "Cornflower" 82mm rapid-fire mortars was also added. An additional 4 Russian-made BMD-2 Light airborne infantry fighting vehicles formed the armored company.
The strike system built on this basis is unprecedented among domestic troops of the same level.
Because the Army Aviation Special Forces Brigade can use various types of helicopters at one time to deliver 3 vehicle-mounted 107mm rocket launchers, 2 Russian-made "Cornflower" 82mm rapid-fire mortars, and 2 Russian-made mortars to combat areas hundreds of kilometers away. The BMD-2 light airborne infantry fighting vehicle and 90 fully armed infantrymen form a company-sized light armored battle group.
Whether it is an offensive breakthrough or a defensive operation, this battle group has achieved an excellent balance in firepower, mobility and defense.
In other words, the combat capabilities of the air assault force built on this basis will exceed everyone's imagination.
?This was something that was unthinkable before.
But now, with the emergence of the Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopter, it has turned from fantasy into reality.
No way, who made the Zhi-8plus heavy-duty helicopter large enough? The length of the whole machine reaches 27.6 meters; the height to the rotor is 7.8 meters; and the diameter of the main propeller is 20.9 meters.
?The cabin is 10.5 meters long, 5.2 meters wide and 2.9 meters high.
The entire cabin is comparable in size to a light transport aircraft, and can carry three vehicle-mounted 107mm rocket launchers at one time; or six Russian-made "Cornflower" 82mm rapid-fire mortars, and hoist a vehicle-mounted 107mm rocket launcher; or it can carry one A Russian-made BMD-2 light airborne infantry fighting vehicle.
The above-mentioned loading plan is not just about carrying weapons, but a full combat load with relevant personnel and accompanying ammunition; in other words, the Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopter can be put into combat as soon as it lands with these weapons, rather than just a pretense. .
Of course, if you want to have such a flexible loading method, the Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopter needs not only a large cabin, but also a super-class power system.
The super heart that bears the surging power of the Z-8plus heavy-duty helicopter is the wd-63zb high-power turboshaft engine produced by Ascendas Group, with a cruising power of 2854 kilowatts and a maximum full-load power of 3267 kilowatts.
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