A Chinese official told local reporters last week that researchers are moving forward with plans to build a four-engine tiltrotor aircraft capable of speeds up to 310 mph, substantially faster than other heavy-lift helicopters. The Blue Whale project was first reported on about three years ago, so last week's announcement seems to signal a commitment to the ambitious project. "We will design two variants of the Blue Whale — a medium-duty type and a heavy-duty one," Wu Ximing, chief helicopter designer at the Aviation Industry Corp of China, told China Daily last week. "The medium-duty model will have a maximum takeoff weight of 20 metric tons (22 tons), and the heavy-duty model 40 tons (44 tons)."
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/recent-updates/business-military/china-pursues-ultrafast-tiltrotor