Aircraft & UAVs

B-7346

Also known as
  • B7346
  • China Rescue B-7346
  • B-7346 rescue helicopter
  • Sikorsky S-76C B-7346

B-7346 is a China Rescue Sikorsky S-76C search-and-rescue helicopter tied to the Ministry of Transport East Sea rescue system. Photo records identify the airframe and operator, while Chinese reporting places B-7346 in a November 2024 Fujian maritime rescue that used high-hover winching to recover crew from a disabled engineering vessel.

B-7346, Search-and-rescue helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 9555357
Documented Rescue Role

The most detailed public report found for B-7346 places the aircraft in a Ministry of Transport maritime rescue response off Fujian during rough weather from Typhoon Yinxing and a cold-air surge.

DetailDocumented context
Command chainThe East China Sea Rescue Bureau activated an emergency rescue plan and directed Donghai Second Rescue Flying Team helicopters to prepare for dispatch.
Aircraft movementB-7346 departed Xiamen Gaoqi Airport at 05:52 on 7 November 2024 and reached the scene about 40 minutes later.
Hoist problemThe disabled engineering vessel carried an 88 m crane boom and extensive steel cables, forcing B-7346 to use a non-standard high-hover hoist profile.
OutcomeB-7346 and B-7328 completed the aerial evacuation by 07:45, and 19 crew members were reported rescued.

These details document B-7346 as a civil maritime rescue helicopter connected to cataloged rescue-vessel operations.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Type
Search-and-rescue helicopter
Service note
Photographed in 2019 and 2024; documented in a November 2024 maritime rescue report

Specifications

Registration
B-7346
Aircraft type
Sikorsky S-76C
Serial number
760798
Operator
China Rescue
Operating organization
East China Sea Rescue Bureau rescue aviation system
Documented departure point
Xiamen Gaoqi Airport in November 2024 rescue reporting
Role
Search and rescue
Rescue equipment noted
Winch / hoist rescue from about 50 m hover height in a 2024 mission
Airframe Identity

Public aviation-photo records identify B-7346 as a China Rescue Sikorsky S-76C, and the manufacturer describes the S-76 family as serving offshore, medical, executive, utility, and search-and-rescue mission segments.

FieldRecorded value
RegistrationB-7346
TypeSikorsky S-76C
Serial number760798
Operator shown in photo recordsChina Rescue
Family mission contextLockheed Martin lists search and rescue among the S-76 mission segments.
Compatible Rescue Ships

A 2024 Fujian rescue report names B-7346 alongside Donghai Jiu 113 in the same incident response.

Compatible itemItem typeCompatibility evidence
Donghai Jiu 113, Search and rescue vessel, Naval SystemsDonghai Jiu 113search and rescue vessel

The report says Donghai Jiu 113 reached the rescue scene after a seven-hour transit while B-7346 and B-7328 flew from Xiamen Gaoqi Airport for the same operation.

Sources: QQ News: 一工程船在福建海域走锚失控，19人成功获救

Timeline

B-7346 Key Events

  1. Photographed as China Rescue S-76C

    JetPhotos records B-7346 as a Sikorsky S-76C with serial number 760798 operated by China Rescue.

    Sources: JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 9555357

  2. Photographed in China Rescue service

    A 2024 JetPhotos record again identifies B-7346 as a China Rescue Sikorsky S-76C, supporting continued public documentation of the same airframe.

    Sources: JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 11308092

  3. Fujian engineering-vessel rescue

    Chinese reporting says B-7346 departed Xiamen Gaoqi Airport at 05:52, reached the scene about 40 minutes later, used a high hover and winch work near the vessel, and joined B-7328 in rescuing 19 crew by 07:45.

    Sources: QQ News: 一工程船在福建海域走锚失控，19人成功获救

Media

B-7346 Images

B-7346, Search-and-rescue helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 9555357
B-7346, Search-and-rescue helicopter, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 9555357
Related Weapon Systems
B-7328 rescue helicopter, Search-and-rescue helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsB-7328 rescue helicopterSearch-and-rescue helicopterB-7328 is a Sikorsky S-76C++ search-and-rescue helicopter operated by China Rescue's Donghai rescue force. Local reporting says the East China Sea Second Rescue Flying Team added B-7328 in 2011, and later rescue reports place the helicopter in typhoon, engineering-vessel, and medical-evacuation responses from Xiamen and Fujian-area bases. Sikorsky's S-76C++ data describes the type as a twin-engine helicopter with an 11,700-pound maximum gross weight, 155-knot cruise speed, and 411-nautical-mile range.
Donghai Jiu 113, Search and rescue vessel, Naval SystemsNaval SystemsDonghai Jiu 113Search and rescue vesselDonghai Jiu 113 is a Chinese East China Sea Rescue Bureau search-and-rescue vessel built by Guangzhou Huangpu Shipbuilding in 2009. Sources describe the roughly 99-meter ship as a long-range rescue, towing, salvage, firefighting, and pollution-response platform with a helicopter deck, 10,000- to 15,000-nautical-mile reported range, and more than 100 tonnes of towing force; official Chinese and Taiwanese reporting later placed it in the June 2026 east-of-Taiwan maritime law-enforcement operation.
Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King, Anti-submarine warfare and utility helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSikorsky SH-3 Sea KingAnti-submarine warfare and utility helicopterThe Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King is the U.S. Navy H-3/S-61 maritime helicopter family built around twin turboshaft engines, an amphibious boat hull, dipping sonar, and carrier-deck folding features. Designed as a Cold War anti-submarine platform, it also became a rescue, utility, minesweeping, astronaut-recovery, and presidential-transport airframe, with direct Vietnam War combat-search-and-rescue documentation and later U.S. Navy service lasting until the last operational UH-3H retirement in 2009.

Sources

QQ News: 一工程船在福建海域走锚失控，19人成功获救Publisher: QQ News | Note: Supports B-7346 being dispatched from Xiamen Gaoqi Airport with B-7328 for the 7 November 2024 Fujian rescue, the East China Sea Rescue Bureau and Donghai Second Rescue Flying Team context, the high-hover winch work, the rescue of 19 crew, and the Donghai Jiu 113 relationship. | Accessed: 2026-06-29JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 9555357Publisher: JetPhotos | Note: Supports B-7346 as a Sikorsky S-76C operated by China Rescue and provides image provenance for the July 18, 2019 photo. | Accessed: 2026-06-29JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 11308092Publisher: JetPhotos | Note: Supports B-7346 as a Sikorsky S-76C operated by China Rescue and provides image provenance for the April 21, 2024 photo. | Accessed: 2026-06-29JetPhotos: B-7346 photo 9452785Publisher: JetPhotos | Note: Supports B-7346 as a Sikorsky S-76C operated by China Rescue and provides image provenance for the September 22, 2019 photo. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Lockheed Martin: Sikorsky S-76 helicopterPublisher: Lockheed Martin | Note: Supports manufacturer background for the Sikorsky S-76 family and its use in search-and-rescue and helicopter air-ambulance mission segments. | Accessed: 2026-06-29