Having demonstrated an "irreplaceable" role in the recent disaster-relief efforts in Sichuan province, China's helicopter industry is expected to develop more rapidly in the coming years.

The May 12 earthquake and subsequent landslides toppled many buildings, blocked roads, destroyed bridges and damaged railways, leaving thousands of people buried under debris waiting for relief.

In the days following the disaster, helicopters demonstrated their unique advantages, which are unmatched by any other means of transportation.

They proved a usefulness beyond that of even fixed-wing planes, because they needed only a few dozen sq m of space to land and take off. In addition, they can hover over one spot and can even move backward, University of National Defense professor Li Daguang explained.

However, currently, the number of helicopters in China is small relative to its geographic size, he added.

According to statistics provided by China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) assistant chief engineer Wang Bin, China has about 160 civilian-use helicopters, compared with more than 580 in Brazil, 1,600 in Canada, 3,000 in Russia and 10,000 in the United States.

In addition, only a small number of these are domestically manufactured, and most are imported from the US, Russia and France, he said.

AVIC II is China's only helicopter manufacturer. Its annual production stands at 40 to 50 helicopters of three models in addition to helicopter parts for foreign companies. Most of the production is done at AVIC II's two bases in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, and Changhe city, Jiangxi province.

But only 12 of the more than 100 military and civilian helicopters used in the current disaster-relief efforts were made by AVIC II.

Because none of the 12 made-in-China choppers were heavy-lift models, TV coverage of the relief efforts was flooded with images of Russian-made Mi-26 heavy helicopters, which were used to transport bulldozers and excavators to the Tangjiashan quake lake's banks.

Li Daguang with the University of National Defense believed China should develop heavy-lift helicopters and expand the capabilities of its existing mid-sized models.

Wang explained China had previously lacked the economic capacity to develop heavy-lift helicopters.

"Just like large passenger planes, developing heavy helicopters demands huge investments and technological support," he told China Daily.

But with China's GDP growing and technology accumulating from previous projects, now might be a good time to consider developing 20-ton heavy helicopters, Wang said.

Past international experience suggests developing such helicopters would require at least 10 billion yuan ($1.44 billion) and take between five and eight years, he added.

To increase demand, China should expand the functionality of the choppers, he said.

Estimates put the number of helicopters China would need by 2010 at 2,000, but that might not equate to the number of actual orders, Wang explained.

Limited airspace has placed China's general aviation sector - the country's major helicopter user - far behind the scheduled flights sector. Today, only 15 of China's 40 general aviation firms own choppers, he said.

However, since helicopters' usefulness was demonstrated in post-quake the rescue and relief efforts, the industry would undergo rapid growth in the future, he added.

(China Daily June 10, 2008)