PLA's New Heliports & Helicopters, Dual-Use Airports & Naval Updates

Construction has begun on two heliports meant for air-maintenance of the PLAGF’s on-site garrisons in the Hot Springs and Panggong Tso Lake areas. Located north of Hot Springs (34 26 40.2 N, 78 55 23.0 E) and 155km east of Panggong Tso Lake (32 29 49.1 N, 80 04 19.2 E) they will be similar in design to the heliports that were built in the 2017-2018 period in the North Doklam area in the eastern sector.

The 76th Aviation Brigade of the PLA Army conducted a daylight tactical penetration exercise on June 22, 2020 in the Kunlun mountain range in southern Xinjiang. This Aviation Brigade has eight Groups, with 12 helicopters in each Group. Helicopters in use are the Mi-171E and Z-8G utility helicopters, and the Z-9WZ and the ZW-10 attack helicopters.

The Aviation Brigade is headquartered at Xinjiang’s Wujiaqu Heli-Base (44 06 46 N, 087 27 41 E), under which come the forward bases comprising the Shule/Baren Heli-Base (39 23 46 N, 076 11 26 E), Shuimogoucun Heli-Base (43 48 59.14 N, 87 41 17.20 E), Tashkurgan Heli-Base (37 43 33.27 N, 75 15 21.98 E) and the latest Pishan County Heli-Base in Hotan Prefecture (36 20 42.1 N, 78 01 57.7 E).

The presence of such heliports will enable the PLAGF in future to rapidly deploy to those areas that China claims to be its own, thereby seizing the initiative and taking advantage of the element of surprise. Consequently, the on-going disengagement of forces does in no way reduce the military threat from the PLAGF of physical occupation of territory along the LAC at any future date.

In addition, under the Tibet Military District (TMD) Lhasa in Tibet has the Liuwuxiang Heli-Base (29 35 25 N, 091 01 14 E) that was commissioned in 2017, the Shiquanhe Heli-Base at Ngari (32 29 45.69 N, 80 4 15.46 E), the Nyingchi Heli-Base above Arunachal Pradesh, and Shigatse Airport too has a heli-base that was built in 2017.

New-generation variants of the Z-8 (the Z-8G and Z-8L) have a total takeoff weight of 13 tonnes. Changhe Aircraft Industry Group’s (CAIG) Z-8L ‘Gaoyuan’ (Plateau) heavylift helicopter, earlier designated as the Z-18, is a heavily modified version of the Harbin Z-8, CAIG’s derivative of the Aérospatiale SA.321 Super Frelon. The Z-8L flew for the first time in 2014. Powered by three domestic WZ-6C turboshaft engines, it has a maximum takeoff weight of 13.8 tonnes and can carry 30 troops, or five tonnes of cargo for up to 1,000km.

The Z-8L’s design has replaced the Super Frelon’s distinctive boat-hull lower fuselage with a tail ramp and has added a small terrain-following radar in the radome. In addition, the much longer external sponsons are configured as fuel tanks, as well as mounting the aft undercarriage. The internal width of the load area has been increased from 1.8 metres to 2.4 metres. Some Z-8Ls are fitted with a SATCOM fairing on the tailboom, aft of the engine exhausts. “We have completed flight training, and the next step is to focus on the integration with land forces,” said PLA Army’s 83rd Army Air Assault Brigade commander Song Zhipeng. The Z-8L has to date performed flight-tests reaching as high as 29,500 feet.

The twin-engined Z-20 medium-lift helicopter now being built at the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG) is a multi-purpose platform that is also China’s first helicopter to use an indigenously developed fly-by-wire flight-control system (FBW-FCS). The Z-20 also features a streamlined aerodynamic structure and new anti-icing technology. In November 2017 the Z-20 in PLA Air Force (PLAAF) colours completed its high-altitude flight-tests at Xiahe airfield (flying up to 4,000 metres, or 13,200 feet) in Gansu province. The Z-20’s requirement dates back to the 1980s, when China was seeking a medium utility helicopter for operations in its mountainous western regions of Tibet and Xinjiang. The PLAAF eventually imported 24 Sikorsky S-70C-2s powered by General Electric T700-701A engines. Since then, the S-70’s performance in such regions has been unmatched, even with the later acquisition by China of Mil Mi-17V5s from Russia. Development of the Z-20 began in 2006, and the maiden flight took place on December 23, 2013.

Although the Z-20 bears a close external resemblance to the S-70, the Z-20 incorporates novel features like the FBW-FCS, five main rotor blades, and a more angular tail–to-fuselage joint airframe, all of whoch contributes to more lift, greater cabin capacity and higher endurance. In addition, a new fairing installed aft of the engine exhausts and another on the tail spine, are housings for the BeiDou (Big Dipper) satellite navigation system’s receiver antennae. Powerplant for the Z-20 is the domestically-developed WZ-10 turboshaft engine, providing 2,145shp of power. The Z-20 will be a key air-mobility and projection platform for the PLA, while its Z-20F will provide the PLA Navy with a much-needed shipborne multi-role naval helicopter.

Meanwhile, Beijing has begun building what is perhaps TAR’s first dedicated air base at the site of the old Damxung Airport in the Damxung County of Lhasa. Built in 1955, the Damxung Airport was the world’s highest airport at that time. The site is located at 30 28 59.59 N, 91 4 42.78 E.

In addition, work has begun on constructing the Lhunze Airport in Lhoka (Shannan Prefecture), north of the Upper Subansiri and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The site is at 28 24 9.83 N, 92 28 12.56 E. Another airport is coming up at Purang (30 17 44.30 N, 81 9 20.48 E) near the trijunction Nepal-Tibet-India, north of India’s Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand state. And yet another airport is to be built between the Tingri and Lhatse counties, north of Zangmu, the border post with Nepal.

Also expected to be built is an underground, hardened ammunition storage facility in Aksai Chin’s existing logistics support facility at Tianshuihai (34 44 42.91 N, 80 9 4.92 E), which will resemble the Xinjiang Military District’s ammunition storage facility at Urumqi: (43 46 27.40 N, 87 31 46.29 E).

Naval Updates

China State Shipbuilding Trading Co Ltd (CSTC) will in late August 2020 launch the first of four 4,200-tonne Type 054AP guided-missile frigates (FFG) for the Pakistan Navy at the Shanghai-based Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard. Deliveries will take place between 2010 and 2023. CSTC started work on the first two FFGs in 2018, while the construction of the third and fourth FFGs commenced in November 2019. The PN had ordered the Type 054AP FFGs in two equal batches, with the first order placed in 2017, and the second in the summer of 2018.

At Shanghai’s Jiangnan Shipyard the first Type 055 guided-missile destroyer (DDG) for the PLA Navy (PLAN)—101 Nanchang—has completed its sea trails and now awaits commissioning, while the second DDG—102 Lhasa—is currently undergoing sea-trials. The fifth such DDG—103 Anshan—is now undergoing outfitting, while the seventh DDG—104—is now undergoing outfitting at Dalian Shipyard, where the third DDG--105 Dalian—is now undergoing sea-trials.

The fourth Type 055 DDG—106 Yanan is being outfitted at Dalian along with the sixth DDG—107 Zunyi. The eighth DDG—108—is now undergoing sectional hull-assembly. The Type 052D DDGs now at Jiangnan Shipyard include the 122 Tangshan, 132 Suzhou), while another five built by this shipyard are now undergoing sea-trials.

The Indian Navy (IN), meanwhile, has quietly begun the process of installing RAFAEL-developed BNET-AR SDR-based tactical data-links on both its MiG-29K/KUB carrier-based MRCAs, as well as on its existing Ka-31 AEW helicopters. While the MiG-29Ks and MiG-29KUBs had all come equipped with internal wiring and all-composite apertures (behind their nosecones facing both starboard and portside), the Russia-origin VHF/UHF tactical data-links were not installed since the IN was on the lookout for SDR-based data-links. The BNET-AR was finally selected last year for both platforms and the installation work is now being carried-out in-country at Dabolim.