China to Develop Helicopter IndustryChina has set a goal to turn itself into one of the world's major general-use helicopter producers by 2030, said Liang Zhenhe, deputy general manager of the China Aviation Industry Corporation II.He said that China's general aviation market was almost closed to the use of helicopters, and China needs to map out a long-term and stable plan for the development of the country's helicopter industry. China at present has less than 80 general-use helicopters in operation, which means every one million people owns about 0.06 helicopters, far less than the worldwide figure 3.9, said Liang. Industry experts noted that development of a helicopter industry is an important measure to increase the production capacity of China's military products, and will help create a new growth factor for the economy. Experts predicted that China would need about 1,800 helicopters worth some 4.9 billion U.S. dollars by 2013. "We are now striving to obtain an airworthiness certificate from the Chinese aviation authorities to enter China's general aviation market," Liang said. |
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