Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan)

Multi-Mission Transport Helicopter

China | 2020

"The Changhe Z-8G is intended for hot-and-high operations, serving the modern PLA in a variety of airborne tasks."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/20/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

The Changhe Z-8G is a reworking of the existing, in-service Changhe Z-18 utility helicopter (detailed elsewhere on this site), itself based in the AviCopter AC313 series. In its original form, the helicopter went to the air for the first time in 2014 and saw service introduction in 2018 with the People's Liberation Army (PLA). The AC313 flew for the first time back in 2010 and was introduced in 2013. The revised G-model took to the air for the first time during 2014 and was spotted in active exercises with Chinese ground forces by mid-2020.

The Army utilizes the Z-8G for various operations including airborne assault and transport - where it can ferry up to thirty combat-ready personnel into battle or 11,000lb of cargo in their place, respectively. It is a "hot-and-high" variant intended for the country's plateau region and similar operating environments, given inherently good high-altitude performance where cold starts and achieving lift become more problematic. It carries terrain-following radar in the nose as well as SATCOM (Satellite Communications) in the tail and supports an Electro-Optical (EO) system to boot. When compared to the Z-18, the Z-8G is distinguished by its completely different, sloped down, nose assembly while all other physical characteristics of the helicopter appear to remain faithful to the original.

The helicopter has a conventional configuration with side-by-side seating for its cockpit crew of two. The cockpit is of all-digital design to help reduce the mission workload and is given extensive window coverage for excellent out-of-cockpit vision. The fuselage is lined with rounded-rectangular portholes for viewing and the trio of engines is fitted to the roof. The rear of the fuselage has a powered cargo door which sits under the tail stem. Sponsons are present at each side of the fuselage with each supporting a twin-wheeled main leg while the "chin" position is home to a twin-wheeled nose leg.

Power is from 3 x WZ-6C turboshaft engines driving a five-bladed main rotor over the fuselage and a five-bladed tail rotor offset to port side. This engine, produced under license locally as it is based in the French Turbomeca "Turmo", has also driven the SA321 "Super Frelon" and SA330 "Puma" French helicopters for decades.

This gives the helicopter a range out to 600 miles and a service ceiling of about 20,000 feet.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Changhe Z-8G Multi-Mission Transport Helicopter.

3 x WZ-6C turboshaft engines driving five-bladed main rotor over fuselage and five-bladed tail rotor offset to portside.
Propulsion

208 mph
335 kph | 181 kts
Max Speed

155 mph
250 kph | 135 kts
Cruise Speed

19,685 ft
6,000 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

621 miles
1,000 km | 540 nm
Operational Range

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Changhe Z-8G Multi-Mission Transport Helicopter.

3
(MANNED)
Crew

75.6 ft
23.05 m
O/A Length

62.3 ft
(19.00 m)
O/A Width

23.0 ft
(7.00 m)
O/A Height

19,335 lb
(8,770 kg)
Empty Weight

30,358 lb
(13,770 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan) Multi-Mission Transport Helicopter .

Typically none. 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun (HMG) or simialr can be affixed to rear cargo ramp for the self-defense and infantry suppression roles.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan) family line.

Z-8G ("Gaoyuan") - Base Series Designation.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 100 Units
Contractor(s): Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) - China

[ China ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 300mph

Lo: 150mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (208mph).

Graph Average of 225 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

100

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

♦

1 / 1

Image of the Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan)

Image from the Chinese Ministry of Defense; Public Release.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

TRANSPORT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Similar
Developments of similar form-and-function, or related, to the Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan) Multi-Mission Transport Helicopter.

Harbin Z-8

Going Further...
The Changhe (CAIC) Z-8G (Gaoyuan) Multi-Mission Transport Helicopter appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2025 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks U.S. DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols US 5-Star Generals WW2 Weapons by Country

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes Global Firepower, WDMMA.org, WDMMW.org, and World War Next.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)