Chinese Engineers Are Researching And Developing An Electric Helicopter

State-owned China News Service reported that a team of Chinese researchers is in the process of developing an electric helicopter. By using electric motors, the team is hoping that they can not only cut down the amount of fuel but also produce lighter in weight as well as easier-to-control helicopters.

According to Deng Jinghui at the China Helicopter Research and Development Institute located in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, who is the chief designer of the project, the team will replace a traditional helicopter’s tail rotor with an electric motor. By doing this, the team can explore and verify all-electric helicopters’ feasibility.

The team plans to test the performance of the electric tail rotor for about two years.

If everything goes well, the next step of the team is to replace the main engine as well as the rotor.

Electric motors don’t need a transmission so removing one will make flying a helicopter a lot easier.

Deng quoted saying in an interview with the China News Service:

The aim of the team is to eventually construct an all-electric helicopter with stronger motors as well as longer-lasting batteries, which will replace the engines and electric generators.

However, once this helicopter is finished, it is not the first electric one in existence. Sikorsky Aircraft, an aviation company from Connecticut, has already launched the first all-electric helicopter called Sikorsky Firefly back in 2010.