Safeguarding the "Lucky Bird": The Story Behind the Development of Fire Extinguishers for the AC312E and AC332 Helicopters

In the grand picture of domestic civilian helicopters taking off, every detail embodies the wisdom and sweat of countless aviation people. As a key part of ensuring flight safety, the importance of aviation fire protection systems is self-evident. Since 2015, AVIC Harbin Aircraft Corporation has entrusted our company to develop the AC312E and AC332 helicopter engine fire extinguishing bottles. After eight years of hard work, we have interpreted our mission of "serving the country through aviation" with practical actions, and escorted the domestically produced "auspicious birds" to fly high.

Accept orders in times of crisis and start the road to attack

In January 2015, at a critical period for the development of domestic civil helicopters, AVIC Harbin Aircraft Corporation issued a commission to our company to develop AC312E and AC332 helicopter engine fire extinguishing bottles. These two models are important members of the domestic helicopter family. The former is known for its excellent plateau performance and multi-purpose, while the latter aims at broader market application prospects. As the core component of the helicopter engine fire protection system, the performance of the fire extinguisher bottle is directly related to flight safety and mission success.

After receiving the task, our company quickly established a special research and development team to carry out research on key technical indicators such as the reliability, environmental adaptability, and lightweight of the fire extinguishing bottles. Facing the extreme environment of high temperature, high pressure and strong vibration in the helicopter engine room, the team repeatedly optimized the fire extinguishing agent formula, bottle structure design and trigger mechanism to ensure that the product can function quickly, accurately and efficiently in emergency situations.

Technological breakthrough, passed authoritative appraisal

After more than three years of painstaking research and development and repeated testing, in March 2018, the AC312E and AC332 helicopter engine fire extinguishing bottles developed by our company reached a critical milestone - all performance and technical indicators fully met the requirements for use and successfully passed the technical appraisal review. This achievement marks that my country has achieved independent control in the field of core components of helicopter firefighting systems and has broken relevant technical barriers.

At the appraisal meeting, the expert group conducted strict testing and review of the product and unanimously agreed that the fire extinguishing bottle has the advantages of fast response, high fire extinguishing efficiency, strong environmental adaptability, compact and lightweight structure, etc. It fully meets the requirements of high reliability and high safety of aviation products, and can be widely used in the engine fire protection systems of AC312E and AC332 helicopters.

Batch delivery, witness reliable quality

Since passing the appraisal in 2018, the two engine fire extinguishing bottles have gradually entered the mass production and delivery stage. Up to now, the cumulative number of deliveries has reached more than 90 sets, providing safety guarantee for multiple AC312E and AC332 helicopters. From plains to plateaus, from scorching heat to severe cold, these fire extinguishing bottles have accompanied the "Auspicious Bird" in performing many important tasks such as flood rescue, police law enforcement, medical transport, and plateau test flights, and have withstood the test of complex environments and high-intensity use.

"The product performance is reliable and the quality is stable." This is the unanimous feedback from users. In many practical applications, the fire extinguishing bottle system did not show any abnormalities, and its rapid response and efficient fire extinguishing capabilities have been highly recognized by pilots and maintenance personnel. Especially when the AC312E participated in Heilongjiang Wuchang flood fighting, plateau rappelling rescue and other operations, the reliable firefighting system provided a solid guarantee for the helicopter's safe operations under extreme conditions.

Continue to escort and build blue sky dreams together

From undertaking the task in 2015, to successfully developing and delivering it in 2018, and now to batch application, our company has always adhered to user demand-oriented, technological innovation-driven, and continuously improved product performance and service quality. In the future, we will continue to deepen our cooperation with AVIC Harbin Aircraft Corporation of China, expand more aviation safety product lines based on the development needs of domestic helicopters, and provide strong support for building a world-class helicopter enterprise.

For nine years on Lingyun Road, AC312E and AC332 "auspicious birds" have flown over thousands of mountains and rivers, writing a glorious chapter for domestic civil helicopters. Our company's engine fire extinguishing bottles are the indispensable "safety guards" in this magnificent flight path. In the future, we will continue to protect the blue sky with ingenuity, protect dreams with technology, and contribute more to the high-quality development of the domestic aviation industry.