China restarts AC352 helicopter flight tests for search and rescue operations.

The AC352 multipurpose helicopter flew again on January 20, 2026, in Harbin, possibly marking the restart of flight testing after a prolonged pause.

As reported by China Aviation News on January 27, 2026, the AVIC AC352 multipurpose helicopter, also known as the Harbin Z-15, resumed flight testing in Harbin on January 20, 2026, confirming the restart of airborne development work after a prolonged pause. The demonstration was conducted during a national aviation emergency-rescue equipment meeting and focused on a dedicated search and rescue configuration. The flights indicate the program has entered a new adjustment and verification phase ahead of civil certification and domestic operational entry.
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The AC352 fills the Chinese gap for civil, offshore, and search-and-rescue missions where the lighter Z-9 lacks capacity and endurance, but where the size, cost, and prioritization of the heavier Z-20 are not optimal. (Picture source: Weibo/@沉默的山羊)

The origins of the AC352 date back to 2005, when discussions began between Eurocopter and AVIC on the co-development of a new medium twin-engine helicopter, initially designated EC175. A formal development contract was signed on December 5, 2005, between Eurocopter and Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, defining an equal sharing of investment, development workload, industrial responsibilities, risks, and commercial returns. The helicopter was officially introduced at Heli-Expo 2008, where the commercial structure allocated sales in China and neighboring markets to the Chinese side and sales in other regions to Airbus Helicopters. Final assembly and production support were split between Harbin in China and Marignane in France. This framework established the industrial basis for both the H175 and the Chinese-produced AC352. 

The Chinese AC352 followed a later schedule than the European H175, with its first prototype publicly shown in September 2015 at the China Helicopter Expo in Tianjin and its maiden flight conducted in December 2016 at Harbin in Heilongjiang province. The helicopter is intended for civil and public-service missions, including search and rescue (SAR), emergency medical services, offshore transport, and personnel and cargo transport for government and private operators. The airframe is derived from the H175, but AVIC designed and developed several key components, including the main rotor and the flight-control systems. The program has remained focused on civil certification and domestic market entry, while the possibility of future military or dual-use variants has not been formally excluded. 

The AC352 is powered by two WZ-16 turboshaft engines, developed through cooperation between Safran and Chinese partners CAPI and Dongan under the Aero Engine Corporation of China, for an operational range of about 850 kilometers. With a weight of less than 223.5 kg, the WZ-16 develops a takeoff power exceeding 1,240 kW (approximately 1,660–1,670 shp), a maximum power of roughly ~1,500 kW (2,000 shp), and a continuous power of around 1,137 kW (1,525 shp), to support a maximum takeoff weight of 7.5 tonnes. The helicopter is designed to carry 14 to 16 passengers in its standard configuration, with a typical operational range of about 850 kilometers and cruise speeds between 280 and 300 kilometers per hour, depending on payload and mission profile.

Overall dimensions are consistent with the H175 family, with a rotor diameter of about 14.8 meters and a fuselage length of roughly 15.7 meters. The rotor system and airframe are designed for service lives of approximately 20,000 hours, while major drivetrain and engine overhaul intervals are specified at up to 5,000 hours. The AC352/Z-15 adopts a conventional medium twin-engine helicopter design derived from the Airbus H175, combined with subsystems developed and integrated by the Chinese side. The airframe uses a wide-body fuselage with a flat cabin floor and a retractable tricycle landing gear, while the main rotor consists of five composite blades mounted on a flexible titanium rotor head paired with a conventional tail rotor arrangement. AVIC designed and developed the main rotor system as well as the flight control systems, and the cockpit is built around a full glass configuration with four 6 x 8-inch multi-function displays and a dual-duplex four-axis automatic flight control system.

Structural and systems provisions were incorporated to support mission equipment such as rescue hoists, emergency flotation gear, external mounts, and sensor installations without major airframe changes. This configuration supports transport, offshore, and search-and-rescue missions using a common baseline helicopter. The search and rescue (SAR) configuration highlighted during the January 2026 flights integrates mission equipment designed for night-time and adverse-weather operations. Installed systems include an electrically powered rescue winch, a high-intensity searchlight, and dedicated rescue communication equipment linking cabin crew, winch operators, rescue personnel, and pilots.

For maritime missions, the helicopter is fitted with maritime radio, satellite communications, and a Beidou positioning transmit-receive system to support offshore connectivity and tracking. A direction-finding system assists with bearing and localization, while a video monitoring system provides real-time displays of cabin conditions, rescue activity, and flight status. These features place the AC352 in an intermediate category that fills the Chinese gap between light utility helicopters, such as the Z-9 derived from the AS365 Dauphin, and heavier modern medium helicopters like the Z-20, particularly for civil, offshore, and search-and-rescue missions where the Z-9 lacks capacity and endurance, but where the size, cost, and prioritization of the Z-20 are not optimal.

With a four-person crew and a reserve corresponding to 30 minutes of flight at cruise speed, the AC352 can recover up to 14 people within a 100-nautical-mile mission radius, or five people within a 200-nautical-mile mission radius. The forthcoming test campaign is planned to exceed 300 flight hours and will focus on validating mission equipment, onboard systems, and handling qualities. Completion of this phase is intended to support approval of design changes by the Civil Aviation Administration of China during 2026, after which delivery clearance is expected. Citic Offshore Helicopter is identified as the launch customer for the AC352, and this company is expected to use the helicopter, valued at approximately $8.5 million per unit, for offshore energy support alongside emergency rescue and public service missions

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.