Oct. 23, 2013 defense-unmanned.com

(People's Daily Online; published Oct. 22, 2013)

WZ-10 Is A Starting Point, China Will Develop Heavy-Duty Armed Helicopter

The development of Chinese armed helicopters as represented by the WZ-10 and WZ-19 continues to draw international attention. Du Wenlong, a military expert, responded to media questions by saying that WZ-10 was only a starting point and that China would go on to develop heavy-duty armed helicopters.

When asked where the development of Chinese armed helicopters stands currently, Du Wenlong said that China's WZ-10 and WZ-19 should be seen as a revolution in Chinese armed helicopters for special purposes. Although we have had armed helicopters in the past, they were for general service. For example, the WZ-9 could serve as a transport and an attack helicopter, and also as a platform for other air missions. However, since the WZ-9 was based on upgrading a general armed helicopter, it could not meet special demands in such areas as attack, protection and electronics.

Du Wenlong said that the WZ-10 displayed at the air show had impressed them very deeply. WZ-10 has a very narrow fuselage. Its reflective surface and therefore its vulnerability to attack would be relatively smaller. The probability of successfully hitting it with weaponry in a counter-attack would be relatively low. In addition, WZ-10 can carry a payload of 8 guided missiles. While the counter party’s ground targets might be rock solid against an infantry attack, they could not withstand a single blow from this armed helicopter.

As pointed out by Du Wenlong, China has now made a breakthrough in armed helicopters in comparison with the developed countries. In the future, China will have its own heavy-duty armed helicopters corresponding to the U.S. Apache helicopter, and the Russian Ka-50 and Ka-52 helicopters. The WZ-10 is therefore just a starting point.

November 30, 2012: Strategy page

China has put two helicopter gunship designs into production. Both the "back-up design" (WZ-19) and the troubled (and delayed) favorite WZ-10 have entered service. The WZ-19 armed scout helicopter has been spotted in the air for two years now, most recently painted in military colors. The WZ-19 was earlier known as the Z-9W. The WZ-19 is yet another Chinese helicopter based on the Eurocopter Dauphin (which has been built under license in China for two decades). The WZ-19 is a 4.5 ton, two seat armed helicopter. It can carry a 23mm autocannon and up to a ton of munitions (missiles, usually). Cruising speed is 245 kilometers an hour and range is 700 kilometers. The WZ-19 is basically an upgraded Z-9W.

China has also been developing (since the 1990s) a larger (7 ton) and more complex WZ-10 helicopter gunship. This project has been going on for 14 years and several prototypes have been built. Attempts to buy or steal helicopter gunship technology from Russia and South Africa failed. Two years ago some of the prototypes were sent to Chinese Army aviation units for field testing. While not a failure, the Z-19 was apparently seen as a more capable combat helicopter. The WZ-10 had a lot of problems and was, at one point, in danger of being abandoned. The Chinese persevered and fixed most of the defects and put WZ-10 into production. Because the Z-19 is basically an armed scout helicopter and China still wants something more like the American AH-64 Apache, the WZ-10 was made to work, after a fashion.