Safran and Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) have agreed strengthen their cooperation on the WZ16 French-Chinese helicopter engine. The agreement was signed in Beijing by Alexandre Ziegler, Safran senior executive vice president, international and public affairs, and AECC chairman Cao Jianguo, during French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to China this week.
Terms of the deal include study of a potential joint venture in China to support and maintain in-service WZ16s, production launch of the first 120 WZ16s with an opportunity for 100 more engines, and new applications for the WZ16 including turboprop variant for fixed-wing aircraft.
The WZ16, a locally produced version of Safran’s 1,700-2,000 shp Ardiden 3C, is jointly developed and built by Safran Helicopter Engines and AECC. Certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) was announced in October. The engine is installed in the AVIC AC352 helicopter, the Chinese variant of the Airbus Helicopters H175 super-medium twin. The AC352 first flew in December 2016 and certification is planned for 2021.