Red China's First Helicopter: "Yan-An 2"

In the Summer of 1958, nine years after the establishment of Red China, a group of students and faculty of the Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) adventured into the indigenous design and development of socialist China's first helicopter: "Yan-An 2" (Y-2, Yan' an No. 2). In span of one decade, two helicopter models of the Y-2 were developed: Y-2A and Y-2B. The obscurely known Y-2A helicopter model design project was carried out at NPU in 1958 and then halted in 1960. The better known Y-2B helicopter model development was launched in 1965 and executed by the same faculty and student team of NPU. Although both helicopter models share the identical designated name of "Yan-An 2" (Y-2), their design configurations are basically different. Despite the fact that most information about the helicopter is still sealed and classified, this paper will present the tortuous rotorcraft design and development history of the Y-2A and Y-2B.