Manufacturer catalog

Harbin Aircraft Factory

Harbin Aircraft Factory was the historic Harbin airframe production plant associated with Chinese bomber, flying-boat, helicopter, and utility-aircraft programs. Public English-language references most often connect the factory label to Cold War aircraft such as the Harbin H-5, while later sources describe the same Harbin industrial base through Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, Hafei, or AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group.

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The Harbin aviation works began in the early People's Republic period and became one of China's major aircraft manufacturing bases in Heilongjiang. Government and industry profiles describe the Harbin organization as founded in 1952, located in Pingfang district, and involved in both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft development, research, production, support, and composite airframe work.

The older Harbin Aircraft Factory name is most closely tied to sources on the H-5 light bomber and other early Harbin aircraft programs. Later corporate records and supplier directories generally use Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, Hafei, or AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group for the successor industrial organization.

military aircraftlight bombershelicoptersflying boatsutility aircraftairframe assemblies

Notable Systems

Harbin H-5 bomber, Twin-jet light bomber, Aircraft & UAVs

Harbin H-5 bomber

Twin-jet light bomber

Chinese-built derivative of the Soviet Il-28 light bomber; FAS and GlobalSecurity identify Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation as the producer, and China Daily's Harbin profile lists the Harbin H-5 among aircraft developed and produced by the Harbin group.

Sources: FAS Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, GlobalSecurity HAIG/HAMC profile, China Daily AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group
Harbin Y-12 transport aircraft, Twin-engine turboprop utility transport aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Harbin Y-12 transport aircraft

Twin-engine turboprop utility transport aircraft

Light multipurpose transport aircraft designed and built by Harbin Aircraft according to FAS, with China Daily identifying the Y-12 as a Harbin group product that received UK and US civil-airworthiness qualifications.

Sources: FAS Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, China Daily AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, Airframer AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry listing

Manufacturer History

  1. Harbin aircraft manufacturing base founded

    Government and company-linked profiles describe the Harbin aircraft organization as founded in 1952 in Harbin, Heilongjiang, where it became one of China's early post-1949 aircraft manufacturers.

    Sources: China Daily AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group, Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre introduction, FAS Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation

  2. H-5 bomber production associated with Harbin

    FAS and GlobalSecurity identify Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation as producer of the H-5, a Chinese redesign of the Soviet Il-28 Beagle light bomber; China Daily also lists the Harbin H-5 among Harbin-developed and produced aircraft.

    Sources: FAS Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, GlobalSecurity HAIG/HAMC profile, China Daily AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group

  3. Y-12 development begins

    FAS states that development of the Harbin Y-12 light multipurpose aircraft began in 1980 and identifies it as designed and built by Harbin Aircraft.

    Sources: FAS Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation

  4. Harbin Hafei Airbus composite venture established

    Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre was established in Harbin with AVIC Hafei as a major shareholder, adding Airbus A350XWB and A320-family composite parts work to the Harbin aerospace industrial base.

    Sources: Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre introduction

Successors
Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing CorporationHarbin Aircraft Industry GroupAVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group
Website links
AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry GroupHarbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre introductionChina Daily government-hosted company profile

English-language sources use several names for the Harbin aircraft industrial base, including Harbin Aircraft Factory for older programs and Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, Hafei, HAIG, or AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group for later corporate forms. Modern aliases such as Hafei, HAMC, and AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry Group are kept with Harbin Aircraft Industry Group to avoid duplicate manufacturer names.

Manufacturer Sources

  • China Daily AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry GroupPublisher: China Daily / govt.chinadaily.com.cn | Note: Supports the Harbin organization founding date, Pingfang/Harbin location, major products including the H-5, SH-5, Z-9, HC120, Y-12, Z-19E, and Airbus composite work. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre introductionPublisher: Harbin Hafei Airbus Composite Manufacturing Centre | Note: Supports AVIC Hafei's 1952 founding, Harbin location, fixed-wing and helicopter design/manufacturing capabilities, service-support activity, exports, and 2009 composite joint-venture context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • FAS Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing CorporationPublisher: Federation of American Scientists | Note: Supports Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation as producer of the H-5, its 1952 founding, Harbin facility, helicopter/flying-boat/light-aircraft production, Y-12 development, and foreign airframe-component work. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • GlobalSecurity HAIG/HAMC profilePublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation and HAIG naming, the H-5 production attribution, helicopter and general-aviation role, and the connection between Harbin Aircraft Industries Group and Hafei Aviation. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Airframer AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry listingPublisher: Airframer | Note: Supports current AVIC Harbin Aircraft Industry naming and public industry-listing context for Harbin Y-12, Z-9, Z-15/AC352, and airframe-assembly capabilities. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Aircraft & UAVs

Crewed aircraft, drones, and loitering munitions.

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Harbin H-5 bomber, Twin-jet light bomber, Aircraft & UAVs1977 Cambodian-Vietnamese WarHarbin H-5 bomberTwin-jet light bomberBuilt in: ChinaThe Harbin H-5 is a Chinese-built derivative of the Soviet Ilyushin Il-28, produced by Harbin Aircraft Factory as a twin-jet tactical light bomber with a three-person crew and a 3,000 kg maximum bomb load. Chinese state-industry history describes the H-5 as heavily reworked for local production, with a redesigned wing, shared H-6 equipment, bomber-trainer, reconnaissance, electronic-warfare, torpedo, and nuclear-test variants, and Chinese service lasting until the early 2010s.