Helicopters, especially Russian-made Mi-26 heavy helicopter, have demonstrated an irreplaceable role in the recent disaster-relief efforts in Sichuan Province. Now some are calling on the development of heavy helicopters in China, but others are seeing the development of large aircraft as key for China's aviation industry.

The May 12 earthquake and subsequent landslides toppled many buildings, blocked roads, destroyed bridges and damaged railways, leaving thousands of people buried under debris, waiting for relief.

In the days following the disaster, helicopters demonstrated their unique advantages, which are unmatched by any other means of transportation.

They proved useful beyond that of even fixed-wing planes, because they needed only a few dozen square meters of space to land and take-off. In addition, they can hover over one spot and can even move backward, University of National Defense professor Li Daguang explained. However, currently, the number of helicopters in China is small relative to its geographic size, he added.

According to statistics provided by China Aviation Industry Corporation II (AVIC II) assistant chief engineer Wang Bin, China has about 160 civilian-use helicopters, compared with more than 530 in Brazil, 1,600 in Canada, 3,000 in Russia and 10,000 in the United States. In addition, only a small number of these are domestically manufactured, and most are imported from the United States, Russia and France, he said.

During the relief work, helicopters were the primary means of transport to and from Tangjiashan, where a swelling lake formed when landslides blocked the river, the banks of which are threatening to burst and flood. Large machines, such as bulldozers and excavators, were unable to pass along the roadways and must be airlifted in.

The most impressive helicopter during the disaster-relief efforts was the Russian-made Mi-26 heavy-lift helicopter, which was used to transport bulldozers and excavators to the Tangjiashan quake lake's banks.

According to statistics, from May 12 to June 30, Mianyang airport secured an accumulative 187 Mi-26 helicopter flights for Tangjiashan quake lake relief work. They have carried more than 400 people, 153 tons of fuel and 55 units of large equipment.

The Mi-26 helicopter, one of the biggest helicopters in the world, was designed for carrying large cargo weighing up to 20 tons.

Li Daguang of the University of National Defense believes China should develop heavy-lift helicopters and expand the capabilities of its existing mid-size models.

Wang explained that China had previously lacked the economic capacity to develop heavy-lift helicopters.

"Just like large passenger planes, developing heavy helicopters demands huge investments and technological support," he said.

But with China's GDP growing and technology advancing from previous projects, now might be a good time to consider developing 20-ton heavy helicopters, Wang said. Past international experience suggests developing such helicopters would require at least 10 billion yuan (US$1.44 billion) and take between five and eight years, he added.

Limited airspace has placed China's general aviation sector -- the country's major helicopter user -- far behind the scheduled flights sector. Today, only 15 of China's 40 general aviation firms own copters, he said.

Some people hold different opinions. China's aviation industry still has many gaps and one of them is large aircraft, said an article published in the Defence Weekly. The heavy helicopter is still too far away for China's helicopter industry, said the article. Currently, it is more advantageous and urgent to thoroughly research general mid-size transport helicopters than the heavy helicopter, according to the newspaper.

Large aircraft are key for China's aviation industry, said the article. There will be a good development opportunity for revitalization of the helicopter industry after the relief work, but there is still a long way to go for the development of large helicopters, said the article.

China's first ever jumbo passenger aircraft company was officially inaugurated in Shanghai on May 11. The company, named Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China Ltd (CACC), will be responsible for researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing the homegrown large passenger aircraft.

Establishment of CACC was approved in February 2007 by the State Council, China's Cabinet. This was to make the country capable of building aircraft with a take-off weight of more than 100 tons, or planes with more than 150 seats.

State-level resin matrix composite structure and manufacture technology research and application center was established in Harbin Aircraft Industry Group recently. The company will jointly undertake the task of researching and manufacturing homemade composite materials with many domestic companies to research and manufacture advanced composite materials for China's aviation products such as the large aircraft.

China's aviation experts have begun discussing the feasibility of the country's large airplane manufacturing program, which indicates the nation has entered an advanced stage of researching and manufacturing large aircraft.