Over 100 helicopters sold at China expo

TIANJIN - More than 100 helicopters were sold at the Second China Helicopter Expo in the northern city of Tianjin.

The event, which ended on Sunday, attracted more than 300 enterprises from the industry home and abroad, according to the organizer.

More than 8,000 industry professionals and some 40,000 visitors attended the four-day event.

China's latest-concept unmanned helicopter, JY-8, made its debut at the expo. The helicopter can reach a maximum speed of 400 km per hour.

Also at the event, China's Changhe Aircraft Industrial Group and U.S.-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. signed an agreement on co-producing S-76D commercial utility helicopters.

China's helicopter industry has been on a steady rise over the last decade.

The country's industry will enter a critical period in the next three to five years, said Cai Yi, general manager of the helicopter branch of Aviation Industry Corporation of China.

Industry experts predict that the number of helicopters in the country will grow by over 30 percent annually over the next decade.