A helicopter of China's Fenglei aerobatic team is seen during a performance at the opening ceremony of the 6th China Helicopter Exposition in north China's Tianjin Municipality Sep 14, 2023. Photo:Xinhua

Several of China's domestically developed engines for helicopters and drones made their debuts at the four-day 6th China Helicopter Exposition that wrapped up in North China's Tianjin on Sunday, displaying the country's independent efforts to power all types of aircraft. 

In a move to display the latest achievements to equip Chinese helicopters with more powerful domestically developed engines, state-owned Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) displayed a number of products, ranging from high power to medium and small ones, from those developed for manned aircraft to those developed for drones, from those using conventional fuels to those using hybrid electricity and hydrogen, the Global Times learned at the expo.

A 1,100 kilowatt-class turboshaft engine independently developed by AECC made its debut at the expo. With an integrated multifunctional sand filter device and a health management system, the engine has high component efficiency, good environmental adaptability, long lifespan and high reliability, giving it a world-leading performance that can power utility helicopters with takeoff weights of five to six tons.

Completely running on hydrogen, a type of megawatt-class turboshaft engine developed by AECC can be customized into a series of products that can power regional airliners, helicopters and drones in the future, as green energy, low carbon and high efficiency have become the developmental trends for aero engines.

Another item on display was an 80 kilowatt-class hybrid electric propulsion system, which AECC said has already carried out multiple demonstrative flights on light sport aircraft.

Another engine developer, Beijing Power Machinery Institute, brought its new-type power devices that are suitable for small fixed-wing drones, medium- and high-altitude rotor wing drones, high-altitude aircraft and general aviation planes.

The institute, having built up a wealth of experience developing missile engines, has special advantages in developing engines for small rotorcraft and drones, and with high technical maturity, the performance of the institute's products is world-leading, including fuel efficiency, Wang Yanwen, a marketing director at the institute, told the Global Times at the expo.

In the past, the Chinese market for piston engines was to a large degree monopolized by foreign companies, so the institute developed a series of piston engines with completely independent intellectual properties with the aim of replacing imported products, Wang said.

Developed by the institute based on aerospace technologies, a type of 75 kilowatt-class aviation piston engine that runs on heavy oil and a type of 100 kilowatt-class electrical fuel injection aviation piston engine have already completed flight demonstrations and are expected to be put onto the market soon, the Global Times learned from the institute.

The institute expects good market prospects in its product applications for drones and advanced target aircraft.