Tianjin production base's 1st helicopters to debut in capital airport

The first two helicopters assembled in Tianjin's China Aviation Helicopter Production Base will debut in Beijing Capital International Airport (BCIA) on Nov. 8.

Feng Zhijiang, head of the Tian Free Trade Zone, confirmed the news. The two helicopters are the AC311 and the AC301, which are light utility helicopters for civil use and can be widely used in public security, patrols, medical treatment, disaster-relief, firefighting, tourism and other fields.

Currently, the infrastructure used for the flight of the two helicopters has been basically completed and is undergoing final testing.

The construction of the Tianjin China Aviation Helicopter Production Base started in May 8, 2009, and it has a total construction area of 273,000 square meters. It will complete the planning objectives in two phases. By 2017, it is expected that the production base will be capable of annually producing 300 helicopter aircraft.

By Yan Meng, People's Daily Online