| Z-10 | |
|---|---|
 A Z-10 displaying at the 2012China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Attack helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) |
| Designer | 602nd Aircraft Design Institute[1] Kamov Design Bureau[1] |
| Status | In service[2] |
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army Ground Force Aviation People's Liberation Army Air Force Pakistan Army Aviation Corps |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2003-present |
| Introduction date | 2009 |
| First flight | 29 April 2003[3] |
TheChanghe Z-10 (Chinese:直-10;pinyin:Zhí-Shí;lit. 'helicopter-10') is a Chinese medium-weight, twin-turboshaft,attack helicopter built by theChanghe Aircraft Industries Corporation for thePeople's Liberation Army Ground Force Aviation. Designed by602nd Aircraft Design Institute ofAviation Industry Corporation of China andKamov Design Bureau,[1] the aircraft is intended primarily forantitank warfare missions with secondaryair-to-air combat capability.
The plan to develop a medium-weight helicopter program was initiated in 1994 with the attack helicopter program formally beginning in 1998. The preliminary design of the aircraft was provided by Kamov, whileprototyping was conducted by the 602nd Aircraft Design Institute of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).[4][5][6][7] The Z-10 first flew on 29 April 2003[3] and entered Chinese Army Aviation service in 2009.[8][9][10]
Nicknames of characters in the Chinese classic novelWater Margin have been used to name Z-10 and its light-weight counterpart, theHarbin Z-19 by Chinese Army Aviation Corps; Z-10 is calledFierce Thunderbolt (Pi Li Huo, 霹雳火), the nickname ofQin Ming, while Z-19 is calledBlack Whirlwind (Hei Xuan Feng, 黑旋风), the nickname ofLi Kui.[11][12][13]
ThePeople's Liberation Army Ground Force (PLAGF) established its army aviation units in January 1988. The unit used helicopters transferred fromPeople's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF), includingMil Mi-4,Harbin Z-5,Mil Mi-8, andAérospatiale Gazelle. By the mid-1980s, the Chinese decided to field dedicated attack helicopters. The brief honeymoon period between China and the West providedChina opportunities to evaluateAgusta A129 Mangusta,AH-1 Cobra, andBGM-71 TOW missiles. However, the1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre and the ensuing arms embargo prevented many deals from going through. Nevertheless, China successfully imported or licensed aircraft types such asChanghe Z-8,Harbin Z-9,Sikorsky S-70,Mi-17, andAerospatiale AS332 Super Puma.[14]
Also, debate had arisen in China about whether the PLAGF or PLAAF should operate attack helicopters. Eventually, the PLAGF won and began to induct armed helicopters based on theHarbin Z-9 design. The use of the Z-9WA modification helped China realize the requirement for a dedicated attack helicopter platform.[14]
A preliminary plan to develop an attack helicopter in China began in 1992.[8][9] China began to develop the 6-ton class China Helicopter Medium (CHM) program in 1994, headed by the 602nd and 608th Research Institutes.[15] This program was later developed intoHarbin Z-20.[14] In 1995, China commissioned Kamov to develop a preliminary design for the 6-ton helicopter, known as Project 941 internally. Project 941 was a large departure from traditional Soviet design, focusing entirely on the CHM requirement. The concept was then handed to China for further development, in which Kamov did not participate.[4] Based on the concept, Chinese engineers developed prototypes[4] and iterate designs based on the testing results. The changes include modification on the airframe shapes to optimizeradar cross section, changes on the engine bay shape to accommodate domestic engines, and the engine nozzle layout.[16]
China also secured assistance from Eurocopter France for the rotor system andAgustaWestland in 1997 for the transmission system in 1998.[5]Pratt & Whitney Canada andHamilton Sundstrand secretly provided PT6C-67C engines and digital engine control systems to aid the programs, leading to them receiving investigations and penalties from the United States government.[6][7][17]
In 1998, the 602nd Research Institute proposed the Special Armed Project to develop the final design,[14] which was designated the Z-10.[10] Initially, the Z-10 project was planned to share its propulsion system with the CHM program, but the two programs were separated and the Z-10 was prioritized to be completed first.[11] During the development in 2000,Denel also provided technical assistance to the project in the area of flight stability.[5] After the US government cut off engine sources from Pratt and Whitney, China turned to domestic replacements with lower thrust ratings, leading to further weight-saving design changes.[6] The replacement engine was the indigenous WZ-9 turboshaft.[5]
David Donald ofAviation International News claimed the Z-10 had a universal engine bay capable of fitting various types of engines, including UkrainianMotor Sich TV3-117.[5] However, Chinese sources indicated the TV3-117 is incompatible with the Z-10's engine bay due to the driveshaft shape, and prototypes were fitted with either Pratt and Whitney PT6C-67C or Chinese-builtTurbomeca Makila turboshaft engines, whereas the final version uses WZ-9 turboshaft engines due to its fully indigenous origin.[16]
The Z-10 took its maiden flight on 29 April 2003[3] and entered PLA service in 2009[8][9][10] or 2010.[14]
In March 2014, the Z-10 helicopter began deck trials with aPeople's Liberation Army NavyType 072A-class landing ship. The purpose may be to qualify the helicopter on ships to provide air support for landing parties launched from the ship. Type 072A-class ships have a helipad, but no hangar or support facilities for the aircraft on board. The Z-10 may also be qualified on the largerType 071 amphibious transport dock.[18]
The Z-10 was one of the contenders to replacePakistan'sBell AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters. In 2015, Pakistan acquired three Z-10s for trials,[19] but ultimately rejected the offer due to the inadequate WZ-9 engine.[20] After the failed bid, Chinese engineers began to upgrade to the Z-10 platform to improve its competitiveness.[20] A new prototype, designated Z-10ME, emerged in 2018 with a larger ammunition magazine size, new intake filtration systems, and a newmissile approach warning system.[21] In the same year, more equipment was added to the prototype, such as a more powerful WZ-9Cturboshaft[20] with 1,200 kW (1,600 shp) power, new infrared signature-reducing engine exhaust nozzle, appliqué graphene-based armor plates, etc.[21][22]
The PLAGF's domestic Z-10 fleet was upgraded to the Z-10ME standard with the 1,200 kW (1,600 shp) engines, appliqué armor plates, and infrared suppression nozzles.[23][24][25] The Pakistan Army eventually purchased the Z-10ME, as well.[26]
The Z-10 features atandem cockpit compartment at the front section.[16] The airframe bulges below the cockpit, extending backward and merging with the stub wings and tail boom, creating a distinctive ridge dividing the top and bottom half of the blended fuselage, which are both canted inward, creating ahexagon-shaped frontal profile.[9][27] This slim,rhombic configuration ensures structural strength, increases internal volumes for equipment, and reduces the frontal projected area and overallradar cross section.[27][28] Theradar-absorbent material is applied to the fuselage, further reducing the radar reflection and providing a certain degree oflow observability.[16]
The rotor system consists of a singlesemirigid, five-blade main rotor at the top and a four-blade tail rotor at the aft section.[16][27] Theairfoil of the primary 95KT rotor blade[16] features a significantcamber with swept tips, designed to reduce the blade length, vibration, and acoustic signature. The tail rotor consists of two sets of dual composite blades (four blades in total) mounted in an angled, nonorthogonal (scissor) arrangement[29] designed to reduce noise generated by thewingtip vortices. All blades are made with carbon fiber-wrappedspars with layered honeycomb composite for theskin, capable of sustaining damage against 12.7 mm (0.50 in) rounds.[16][27] A deicing device is fitted to the blades to increase flight safety in adverse weather.[27]
The fuselage is primarily made ofaluminum alloy, with 30% of the mass beingcomposite materials.[3][16] The cockpit compartment is wrapped insidecarbon fibers, while the canopy is protected by bulletproof glasses of 38 mm (1.5 in) in thickness.[16] Additional protection layers made of aluminum alloy andkevlar are applied to the bottom of the cockpit, side of the engine bays, and around theself-sealing fuel tank.[27] Thehoneycomb composite layer is applied to the fuselage bottom, while the pilot seats, landing gears, and fuel tank are reinforced for improvedcrashworthiness.[27][28] The early model of Z-10 prioritizes protection in critical areas for weight reduction without sacrificing structural integrity, range, and payload. In later serial production, appliquégraphene armor plates are mounted on the side of the cockpit and engine housing to further improve the protection level.[27][30][23]
The Z-10's engine air intake is protected by a metal mesh to prevent foreign objects from being sucked in.[16] Newer variants can be installed with integrated inlet particle separators for engine intake filtration, preventing harmful solid particulates such as sand and dust to damage the critical propulsion components.[22] The Z-10's engine system is fitted with the Hover Infrared Suppression System, mixing in the engine exhaust with cold air to reduce the helicopter's infrared characteristic.[27] Later serial production of Z-10s modified the engine nozzle from side-facing to the upward-facing direction, further reducing the signature fromheat radiation.[24][22][31] The upward-facing exhaust nozzle, albeit beneficial for suppressing the infrared signature, would lead to additional drag, To resolve this, the engine on the Z-10 was upgraded to from 1,300 shp (970 kW) to 1,600 shp (1,200 kW) to make up the loss.[32]
The Z-10 prototype was powered by twoPratt and Whitney Canada PT6C-67C turboshaft engines,[33] which is equipped with aFull Authority Digital Engine Control system and sports a maximum continuous power of 1,142 kW (1,531 shp).[34] The early batches of Z-10 were powered by domesticZhuzhou WZ-9 or WZ-9A turboshaft engines, providing 957–1,000 kW (1,283–1,341 shp) of power.[27][35] The reduced performance of WZ-9 turboshaft engines prevented Z-10 from carrying its maximum payload of 16 antitank guided missiles.[1]
Multiple engines were developed to upgrade the propulsion of the Z-10. China and European partners reportedly developed the WZ-16.[27][1] The WZ-9 was upgraded to WZ-9C with 1,200 kW (1,600 shp) of maximum power.[25] The engine was originally designed for export, but subsequently used to upgrade early Z-10s batches.[23] The WZ-9C provides 30% more power than the original version,[31] providing the Z-10 with enough lift for a variety of payloads.[25]
The Z-10 emphasizes extended-range operation. The WZ-9A turboshaft engine allows the aircraft to fly at a maximum speed of 290 km/h (160 kn) and a cruise speed of 230 km/h (120 kn). The internal tank supports a range of 800 km (430 nmi; 500 mi).[27]
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The Z-10 features a comprehensive self-defense suite. The YH-96 electronic warfare system includes a set of infraredmissile approach warning system (MAWS),[28]radar warning receivers (RWR) andlaser warning receivers (LWR), both are connected with the 6×4 countermeasure dispensers (two on each side, four in total, for Z-10ME[22]) to releaseflare andchaff when incoming missiles are detected.[27] The system was upgraded on Z-10ME-02 variant[21] with a different avionics layout,[20] replacing previously mounted radar and electro-optical sensors with integrated countermeasure suite, indicated by severalactive electronically scanned array radar panels around the fuselage and two electro-optical suites mounted on the stub wings.[21] The radar panels are capable of passive signal detection, target searching, and active jamming, which also replace the function of missile approach warning system.[21][22][31] The electro-optical suites include new laser,[36] infrared, ultraviolet warning receivers,[37][21] anddirectional infrared countermeasure systems (DIRCM) to defend againstinfrared homing (IR) missiles.[26]
The primary sensor suite of Z-10 is the WXG1006electro-optical package located at the nose section. The ball-shaped package contains a forward-looking infrared sensor, a TV camera, a laser rangefinder, and a laser designator.[38] The development of the primary electro-optical fire control systems was influenced by French and Israeli systems, but with locally programmed software.[16] The YH millimeter-wave radar was also developed for Z-10 to detect longer-range targets, and targets behind fog, smoke, and dust.[27][39] The mm-wave radar can be installed on top of the main rotor mast.[39]
The steppedtandemcockpit houses two pilots. The front pilot primarily controls the flight maneuver, while the back pilot handles the weapons system.[40][41] Both pilots have identical flight instrumentation,[40] serving as backups to each other, and both are capable of flight control and weapons operation.[28] Inside the cockpit is the digital flight instrument,[27][28] with thefly-by-wire Hands-On Collective And Stick (HOCAS) flight control.[16] Each pilot has twoLCDmulti-function displays (MFD) and multiple small displays for other information.[27][28][42] An additional holographicheads-up display (HUD) is provided for the front pilot.[16]
Each pilot also wears ahelmet-mounted sight, similar to the Integrated Helmet and Display Sighting System on theAH-64 Apache.[16] The helmet sight is fully integrated with FCS to control guided and unguided munitions and display onboard navigation information.[43] The pilots canslave the sensor suite and 23 mm (0.91 in) autocannon to their helmets, controlling the sensors and autocannon direction by turning their heads.[27] For all-weather operation, the helmet visor can be attached with a binocular-likenight vision goggles (NVG),[44][43] which was later replaced with integrated NVGs that can display night-vision image directly inside the visor.[40][43]
Other navigation instruments of Z-10 includelaser gyrocompass,radio altimeter,Doppler radar,inertial navigation,satellite navigation, andidentification friend or foe (IFF) systems.[28][45]
_Aviation_Industry_Corporation_of_China_Changhe_Z10-ME_Z10ME-02_%40_Singapore_Airshow_2024-02-25.jpg)
The Z-10 has a modular weapon system. The system uses the GJV289A standard, the Chinese equivalent of theMIL-STD-1553B databus architecture, which enables weaponry of Chinese, Soviet, and Western origin to be adopted by the Z-10.[16] Offensive weaponry consists of machine guns, cannons, rockets, and missiles. Internal armament consists of a gun mount installed on the chin of the aircraft with 180° of horizontal traverse.[27] Two stub wings provide attachment points for external ordnance or gun pods.[28][46] Each stub wings have twohardpoints,[28] for a total of four, and eachhardpoint can carry up to 4 missiles, for a total of 16 missiles.[1]
The autocannon on the serial production Z-10 is the 23 mm (0.91 in) PX-10A automatic chain gun,[27][47][25] but the aircraft can also mount 20 mm (0.79 in),[31] 25 mm (0.98 in),[16] and 30 mm (1.2 in) autocannons,[16][28][1] with some of them marketed for export customers.
Theair-to-surface missiles deployed by the Z-10 includeHJ-8,HJ-9,HJ-10,[16] AKD-9, andAKD-10 anti-tank missiles.[38] Early AKD-10 utilizes semi-active laser (SAL) guidance, while later variants reportedly incorporatemillimeter wave (MMW) seekers.[38] The Z-10 can also fire BA-21 long-range anti-tank missiles with a millimeter wave/semi-active laser dual model guidance seeker.[38] The missile can be fired from Z-10 and data-linked by millimeter-wave radar mounted on friendly platforms.[48] Aside from anti-tank missiles, the Z-10 can also carry SW6 air-launched drones,[31]CM-501GA none-line-of-sight air-to-surface missiles[49] CM-502KG anti-tank missiles,[50][32] CM-501XA loitering munitions,[31] ET60 324 mm (12.8 in) lightweight torpedo, with the last one providing Z-10 with useful, albeit limited, naval warfare capabilities.[31] The helicopter is compatible withGB25 andGB50 guided bombs.[37]
The mainair-to-air missile deployed by the Z-10 is theTY-90,[38][26] a missile specifically designed for use by helicopters in aerial combat.[27] The TY-90 is much heavier than theMANPAD missiles usually carried by helicopters, providing better lethality and range.[51]
The Z-10 can launch a great variety of unguided and guided rockets. Under the stub wings, a total of four rocket pods can be mounted on thehardpoints. Options include the 19-tube 57 mm (2.244 in) rocket pod,[52] 7-tube 70 mm (2.756 in)Fire Snake rocket pod[53][25] withFS70A (GR-5) 70 mm (2.756 in) guided rocket[52][26] or FS70B 70 mm (2.756 in) air burst fragmentation rocket,[54][55] or 19-tube 70 mm (2.756 in) unguided rocket pod with anti-infantry fragmentation rockets.[25] 7-tube 90 mm (3.543 in) rocket pod is also available,[52][56] capable of firing the largerFS90A 90 mm (3.543 in) guided rocket[52] orTianjian 90 mm (3.543 in) rocket.[57] Aside from the common calibers, the helicopter can support rockets from 20 mm (0.787 in) to 130 mm (5.118 in).[16]
For other types of payloads, the Z-10 can carry a KG300G self-defenseelectronic warfare (EW) pod, providing organic survivability for frontlineELINT andESM defense.[58] The EW pod features a stealth enclosure, and is capable of providing multi-target jamming, spectrum searching, anddigital radio frequency memory (DRFM) signal processing.[59] External fuel tanks be attached to further its operational and ferry ranges.[60] The helicopter can also underslungall-terrain vehicles (ATV) for special operation insertion support.[31] The Z-10 can underslung around 3 tonnes.[31]
In 2011, the Z-10 could be observed operating at PLAGF bases.[61] In September 2016, the PLA announced that all of itsarmy aviation units had been equipped with the Z-10.[62] The helicopter is stationed in frontline regions, such as theTibet plateau[63] andTaiwan Strait.[60]
The Z-10 was one of the contenders to replacePakistan'sBell AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters. In 2015, Pakistan acquired three Z-10s for trials,[64] but they rejected the offer due to the inadequate WZ-9 engine. Pakistan then chose Turkey's AH-1Z; however, contracts to acquire the AH-1Z and then theTAI/AgustaWestland T129 ATAK (which uses the AmericanLHTEC CTS800–4A engine) fell through because of worseningrelations with theUnited States.[65] In January 2022, negotiations to acquire the Z-10ME were underway;[66] the Z-10ME had been identified as a fallback option by February 2020.[65] In June 2022, Pakistan's deal with T129 ATAK was reportedly canceled, and the Pakistan government was seeking the acquisition of Z-10ME.[67] Pakistan military reportedly received the first batch of Z-10ME in 2023.[26]
In July 2025, a Z-10ME airframe painted with Pakistan military serial numbers was observed. The particular aircraft lacked the top-mounted radar, but retained the upgraded engine, guided rockets,CM-502 missiles, and the integrated countermeasure system with directional infrared countermeasure systems (DIRCM) found on the newest Z-10ME variant.[68][69][70] An official induction ceremony was held on 2 August 2025.[71][72]
In June 2012, the United States chargedUnited Technologies and two of its subsidiaries,Pratt & Whitney Canada andHamilton Sundstrand, of selling engine control software to China which aided in the development of the Changhe Z-10.[73] While the Chinese defense ministry denied that China bought or used the software, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Hamilton Sundstrand agreed to pay more than $75 million to the U.S. government to settle the charges.[74]
According to Boneham ofJanes Information Services, the export potential of the Z-10ME lies in its capabilities and affordability. The helicopter is suitable for countries without access to Western and Russian hardware.[36] Malcolm Davis of theAustralian Strategic Policy Institute believed the Z-10ME offered the capability gap of operating air-launched UAVs, and potential candidates included Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, etc. However, Davis believed the demand for advanced helicopters was quite small in these economies.[75]
Data from Military Digest[86]
General characteristics
Performance
_PX-10A_revolver_cannon.jpg)
Armament
Avionics
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
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