China's homegrown military helicopters and upgraded fighter jets are among an eye-catching lineup of Chinese military hardware showcased at the ongoing 15th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition, which opened on Tuesday in Zhuhai City of Guangdong Province in the country's south, two officers from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) said on Wednesday.
For this year's airshow, the PLA Army is displaying the domestically developed Z-10 attack helicopter, Z-20 utility helicopter and Z-8 transport helicopters, all-terrain vehicles, as well as support systems for the Z-10s, among other military hardware.
At a Wednesday press conference in Zhuhai, PLA Army Colonel Liu Zhenhua said the Z-10, Z-8 and Z-20 are some of the highlights of the biennial airshow which runs till Sunday.
"The Z-10 attack helicopter, the Z-8G transport helicopter (designed to operate in high-altitude regions) and the Z-20 utility helicopter are all main combat aircraft independently developed by China. In the following dynamic demonstrations, the Z-10 and the Z-20 will showcase their excellent tactical maneuverability in low altitudes, while the Z-8G will showcase capabilities in the transportation of troops and supplies and in carrying out rescue and relief tasks," Liu said.
Also in the limelight are China's carrier-borne J-15D and J-15T fighters, both the latest models of the PLA Navy's J-15 series, which made their inaugural appearance at the opening day of the show on Tuesday.
"As we have seen at the airshow, we are displaying the J-15D and the J-15T fighter models at the same time. Both have undergone diverse upgrades in avionics, weapons systems and payloads. Furthermore, to make them more compatible with our aircraft carriers, we have focused on the upgrading of the J-15 series' take-off and landing capabilities and dynamic configurations," said Cai Yongtao, a captain of the PLA Navy which is participating in the airshow for the first time.
Popularly known as the Zhuhai Airshow, the premier aviation event has attracted 1,022 companies from 47 countries and regions this year, with Russia, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Italy participating in the air show in groups.
Zhuhai Airshow features China's homegrown military helicopters, carrier-borne fighters
