Ha'erbin, Nov.16 (China Defense Mashup Report by Johnathan Weng) -- In the morning on Nov.15, 2008, Haifei Group (Harbin Aircraft Industry Group) held ceremony to celebrate the delivery of first fuselage of Z-15 helicopter, which is a joint venture of Sino-french project. Hundreds of Hafei employees and European experts witnessed the historical moment.

The Eurocopter EC175 (also Harbin Z-15) is a 7-ton class medium utility helicopter being developed by Eurocopter and Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). Formally launched at EC175 at Heli-Expo in Houston on 24 February 2008, the EC175 is due to be certified in 2011, with Eurocopter aiming to sell approximately 800 to 1,000 EC175s over 20 years. The People's Liberation Army plans to take delivery of the Chinese-built Z-15 variant in 2015-2020 to replace their existing fleet (older Mil Mi-8, Sikorsky S-70, Harbin Z-8 and Harbin Z-9).