ISLAMABAD – The Chinese tactical helicopter that debuted at the NationalDay parade on October 1 is the first in China to use fly-by-wire controlsthat make the aircraft easier and safer to fly in complicated battlefieldsituations, military experts said on Monday.
“The handling of the Z-20 is more sensitive, as it is China’s firstdomestically made helicopter to use a fly-by-wire control system,” Z-20pilot Song Xinning told China Central Television (CCTV) on Sunday.
Unlike traditional flight control systems that use a series of mechanicallinkages to directly pass on the pilot’s control inputs to the aircraft,fly-by-wire processes the inputs through a computer which tells theaircraft to perform what is required, an anonymous military expert told theGlobal Times on Monday.
Thanks to the computer that can do extra calculations, the pilot canmaneuver the aircraft more easily and stably, the expert said, noting thetechnology is common on fixed wing aircraft, but less common withhelicopters due to complexity and cost.
The computer is also lighter than mechanical linkages, meaning the aircraftcan uselink thespare weight capacity for other purposes, the expert said. Song did notmention if a traditional flight control system is still installed as abackup on the Z-20.
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The Black Hawk, a US utility helicopter with which the Z-20 is oftencompared, also saw an experimental fly-by-wire retrofit in June, whichenabled the chopper to become optionally piloted, according to a statementreleased in June on the website of Lockheed Martin, parent company of BlackHawk maker Sikorsky.
Zhang Qiqi, another Z-20 pilot, told CCTV that as pilots of the army airassault force they need to notlinkonlyfly helicopters, but also play the role of a commander, coordinating airand ground forces, giving proper guidance and making them cooperate.
The easy-control fly-by-wire factor enables pilots to better take thatrole, the anonymous expert said.
