China, Chengdu Military Region, Second Army Aviation Regiment.
As an air force directly under the military region, the 2nd Army Aviation Group has a long history. It was the first unit to come into contact with the Black Hawk helicopter, and it is also the Chinese army that knows the Black Hawk best.
The 'Black Hawk' has been in China for more than 30 years and is still the main force of the army aviation. Although it is a bit old, the army still loves it very much - there is no way, there are not many types of helicopters that can be used in plateau areas. But China
The land is so vast and the terrain is so complex.
Captain Qiu Ronghua led the crew to complete daily training and carried out maintenance work as usual. Compared with the exhausting maintenance work of the Mi-17, the 'Black Hawk' is much simpler. But after the work was over, Captain Qiu took a break and wrote a piece of paper
The order sent him and several crew members and ground crew members of the Second Regiment away overnight.
'Leave immediately after receiving the order'. There was no room for bargaining with the superior's order, and the order was urgent. The destination was obviously the Magic City. Captain Qiu knew that this must be a confidential mission, so he arranged the follow-up work.
Lead the team and set off immediately.
I flew directly from Chengdu to Shanghai, and when I arrived at my destination, I took a bus to the military port in the direction of Tianjin. When I arrived at the port, I saw a huge container ship being loaded and unloaded.
"What on earth did you pull us all this way?" Everyone, including Qiu Ronghua, was muttering in their hearts. Judging from the sentries at the port, it was obvious that they were loose on the outside and tight on the inside, and they attached great importance to the containers being loaded and unloaded.
"I guess it has something to do with the helicopter, and it has something to do with the Black Hawk." Someone made this judgment.
Qiu Ronghua also agreed with this, because the people who came over were all crews and ground crews who were familiar with the Black Hawk, and even the technicians who were responsible for the flight and testing when the Black Hawk was introduced. This posture, at first glance
You know that those containers are probably filled with 'Black Hawks'.
The 'Black Hawk' is a good product. It has been developed and produced for decades and is not outdated at all. However, it is embargoed by the United States, so rabbits cannot buy it even if they want to.
After the container was unloaded, Qiu Ronghua, as the captain with the highest military rank, and several personnel from the National Security Bureau personally opened a container numbered '001'. As soon as the door of the container was opened, he was overjoyed, "It is indeed 'black'.
eagle'."
The black and gray paint, the nose with a raised front edge, and the spacious cockpit. Seeing these, Qiu Ronghua couldn't help laughing, and asked the national security personnel who were unpacking the box together: "Well done, you guys from abroad?"
Smuggled in? That’s amazing!”
"The source is confidential, don't ask. Your job is to reassemble these helicopters and conduct test flights." The national security personnel did not reveal any more information.
The helicopter in the container is shipped with external components such as rotors and tail rotors removed. It is also transported with corresponding assembly and test instructions and special tools, and the entire set of equipment is included.
Regarding the caution of the national security personnel, Qiu Ronghua smiled and did not ask any more questions. He wanted to confirm the models of these helicopters first. After all, the 'Black Hawk' is Sikorsky's signature product, with many improved models. But even if it is an old helicopter,
The model number doesn’t matter, rabbits are not picky about this stuff.
When all the containers were loaded onto the trucks, Qiu Ronghua was shocked by the number of containers, "How many are there?"
"There are a total of fifty containers, the first batch of twenty-four, with supporting maintenance parts and even spare engines." The national security personnel did not hide this.
"Twenty-four? Or the first batch? Is this really smuggling? What is the difference between this and official introduction?" Qiu Ronghua was really surprised.
When the Black Hawk was introduced in the 1980s, only twenty-four of them were introduced. After so many years of use, four of them have been damaged. Now, luckily, twenty-four more have been replenished at once. It seems that there are still more to come.
All the people who were preparing to pick up the plane suddenly became excited, feeling that this was a good thing that the country had spent a lot of money to get. You must know that although the Z-20, which is a replica of the Black Hawk, is already undergoing its final test flight, the production problem is
What a huge trouble.
Twenty-four Black Hawks are two flying groups. The Chengdu Military Region is responsible for combat missions in the southwest. The area is located at a high altitude and requires high-power Black Hawks. These Black Hawks are really
It can be of great use.
Everyone and the containers were quickly transferred from the port to the inland airport for subsequent assembly. An even bigger surprise was waiting for Qiu Ronghua and others. They soon discovered that these 'Black Hawks' were not old goods, but were actually in active service with the US military.
The latest model UH-60M.
This is a model of Sikorsky's mid-term life extension mission for the US military. The new wide-chord composite rotor is particularly suitable for high-temperature and plateau environments and also reduces maintenance costs.
The new digital cockpit reduces the pilot's workload, improves the crew's situational awareness, and provides new communication capabilities. Moreover, the engine power has been increased again, and avionics and other equipment are all the latest.
"Hahaha... This is really a shotgun exchange for a cannon!" Although these 'Black Hawks' are all second-hand goods, their performance is much better than the old goods equipped by China more than 30 years ago. Just a digital cockpit can make
Qiu Ronghua and other crew members burst into laughter.
Although there is a lot of unfamiliarity and discomfort with the new equipment, there is no doubt that this batch of 'Black Hawks' is worth the money, and the attached work equipment is also very complete, and even comes with a special training video, basically teaching people step by step.
How to use this batch of 'Blackhawk'.
Because I was not familiar with it, it took a whole week to complete the assembly of the first UH-60M. However, when the first short ground test flight was carried out, and Qiu Ronghua personally piloted the Black Hawk to complete a few minutes of takeoff, hovering and landing, everyone
The crew and ground crew involved in the mission cheered and laughed.
"Yes, yes, very easy to use. The ability of the United States to manufacture weapons and equipment must be affirmed. Good things are good things." Qiu Ronghua said several advantages of this batch of 'Black Hawks' in one breath, and he was so excited that he could not control himself.
.
He couldn't help but ask the national security personnel who were always present: "You must have spent a lot of money for these good things, right?"
This is active duty equipment of the US military. The export price is US$35 million a piece, and it is only given to so-called "friendly" countries. The rabbit wants it, but the eagle sauce won't sell it. They are so arrogant!
In Qiu Ronghua's view, the way it was sneaked into the country must have been smuggled. And the smuggling was so large-scale that the cost was probably more than 35 million U.S. dollars. But the national security personnel were
Smiling without saying a word, I just asked if this batch of goods is worth it?
"It's worth it! Of course it's worth it. Although it's a bit old, if you take good care of it, it can last at least another ten or even fifteen years." The old Black Hawk that Qiu Ronghua flew has had several batches of pilots, but the equipment is still very good.
use.
"As long as it's easy to use, don't ask about the price." This is what the national security personnel want. In fact, the entire assembly and test flight process has been evaluated in detail.
The superiors have given the National Security Bureau a task - to make a correct valuation of this batch of Black Hawks. The price will be whatever it is. We will not take advantage. We also hope that the remaining one hundred Black Hawks will be the same.
Same quality.
Although China is enjoying peace and prosperity in China, the world is not at peace now. Rabbit is extremely hungry for military helicopters, and is now constantly expanding its military strength. And an Army Aviation Regiment only has fifty or sixty helicopters, or more than a hundred.
It is equivalent to adding two more army aviation regiments.
If they are all the latest 'Black Hawk', this improvement in combat power is obvious. But don't stop eating because of choking, which will mess up the subsequent business - now the uncle has plenty of money, but lacks equipment. If it can be sold with money, Eagle Sauce's
I dare to fight an aircraft carrier.
After the test flight by Qiu Ronghua and others, a preliminary conclusion was drawn: These Black Hawks are in good condition and their performance is one level higher than our army's existing equipment. Although they are second-hand goods, their flaws are not hidden and they are worth continuing to introduce.
What surprised Qiu Ronghua and others the most during the entire assembly process was that a different kind of guy appeared among the fifty containers.
"What the hell is this?"
"This is not a 'Black Hawk'!"
"Oh my god, the person who smuggled this product would make Yingjiang vomit blood."