Aviation / Aerospace

Harbin SH-5 (Shuishang Hongzhaji)

Amphibious Flying Boat / Maritime Patrol Aircraft [ 1986 ]

Introduced in 1986, the Harbin SH-5 flying boat was only procured through seven total examples.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/27/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The Harbin SH-5 became a locally designed and developed flying boat for the Chinese Navy ("PLAN") during the latter stages of the Cold War (1947-1991). Design work on the type began in 1968 from the abortive Objective 3/17 program which resulted in a working prototype completing its first flight on April 3rd, 1976. However, the development phase proved rather lengthy for the aircraft did not see formal introduction into the PLAN inventory until 1986. Limited serial production spanned from 1984 until 1985 to which just seven examples were ultimately produced. The line still sees operational service today (2015) though it is ready to be superseded by more modern types such as the in-development AVIC "TA-600".

The series is no doubt influenced by Soviet-era flying boats - its hull is boat-like and allows for water landings and take-off with the cockpit set high above the nose with a commanding view of the terrain ahead. The wing mainplanes are of a monoplane design and shoulder-mounted, each fitted with a pair of engines along their leading edges as well as underslung floats for on-water stability. The tail unit features a twin vertical tail arrangement and is fitted atop the fuselage aft. While the SH-5 is primarily a water-based system it retains a wheeled undercarriage for functionality on land. In this way, the series is a true amphibian with excellent maritime capabilities - chiefly versatility and range.

The SH-5 sees a typical operating crew of eight. Its payload capacity can reach up to 22,000 pounds and the airframe is rated for up to 13,000 pounds of armament-carrying. Dimensions include an overall length of 127.6 feet, a wingspan of 118 feet and a height of 32 feet. Empty weight is 55,115 pounds with a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) listed at 99,200 pounds. Power is served through 4 x "Dongan" WJ5A series turboprop engines developing 3,150 horsepower apiece while driving 4 x four-bladed constant speed propellers with an integrated reverse feature (the Dongan also powers the Xian Y-7 transport). Performance specifications include a maximum speed of 345 miles per hour, a cruising speed of 280 miles per hour, a range out to 3,000 miles, and a service ceiling of 33,630 feet. The avionics fit is comprised of Doppler search radar unit housed in the nose. A Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom is extended from the tail section as needed.

In terms of armament, the SH-5 supports various maritime-related weapon systems including Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) torpedoes, Anti-Ship Missiles (ASMs), depth charges, naval mines and conventional drop bombs across four external hardpoints.

"SH-5" has been used to designate the original production models which included the sole prototype and four production-quality forms. This led to the "SH-5A" mark which were essentially SH-5 airframes outfitted with ELectronic INTelligence (ELINT) equipment for the maritime patrol role. At least one of the SH-5 batch was modified to serve in the firefighting role and designated as "PS-5".

One SH-5 is known to have been lost in a crash, this occurring during 2013 and costing the lives of all of its crewmembers.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1986

Origin

China

Status

ACTIVE
In Active Service.

Crew

8

Production

7
UNITS

Harbin Aircraft Factory - China

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

China

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Special-Mission: Search & Rescue (SAR)
Ability to locate and extract personnel from areas of potential harm or peril (i.e. downed airmen in the sea).

✓ Maritime / Navy
Land-based or shipborne capability for operating over-water in various maritime-related roles while supported by allied naval surface elements.

✓ Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

Length

127.6 ft
(38.90 m)

Width/Span

118.1 ft
(36.00 m)

Height

32.1 ft
(9.79 m)

Empty Wgt

55,116 lb
(25,000 kg)

MTOW

99,208 lb
(45,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+44,092 lb
(+20,000 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Harbin SH-5 (Shuishang Hongzhaji) production variant)

Installed: 4 x Dongan WJ5A turboprop engines developing 3,150 horsepower each.

Max Speed

345 mph
(555 kph | 300 kts)

Ceiling

33,629 ft
(10,250 m | 6 mi)

Range

2,955 mi
(4,756 km | 8,808 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

1,800 ft/min
(549 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Harbin SH-5 (Shuishang Hongzhaji) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

Variable: Up to 13,000 pounds of stores including torpedoes, Anti-Ship Missiles (ASMs), depth charges, naval mines, and conventional drop bombs across four underwing hardpoints.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition

Graphical image of an aircraft anti-ship missile

Graphical image of an aircraft aerial torpedo

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 4

SH-5 - Base Series Model; sources vary on exact numbers completed.

SH-5A - Dedicated Maritime Patrol Platform; conversions of existing SH-5 models for the role; three examples.

SH-5B (PS-5) - Firefighting variant; example converted from existing SH-5 airframe.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.