China’s PLA has finally started flying the Z19, manufactured by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation, according to an unconfirmed report. The last word on this aircraft dates back to late 2010, when a prototype crashed during test flight.
A licensed version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, it’s a close cousin to the chopper used by the United States Coast Guard since 1979 for air-sea rescue operations.
The military version of the medium-weight multi-purpose twin-engine helicopter, either built under license or purchased outright, is used by combat heavies such as the Brazilian Army, Mexican Navy and Sri Lankan Air Force.
No word on PLA armament as tricked out by HAMC, but other forces use the helo for a wide range of roles including armed assault, fire support, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare and medical evacuation.
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Ray Kwong is senior advisor to the USC US-China Institute, a charter member of the Asian International Business Advisory Group, a Forbes contributing writer and columnist for the Hong Kong Economic Journal. He is currently facilitating talks between China and U.S. interests on such matters as clean energy economics, nanotechnology and commercial aerospace. While it sounds way cooler than it really is, he is also a member of the Bloomberg BusinessWeek Market Advisory Board and the McKinsey Quarterly Executive Panel. You can follow him on Twitter @raykwong. Eyeball Ray's posts from Forbes ChinaTalk.
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9 comments
arkhangelsk says:
Feb 6, 2012
Not following Chinese attack heloes closely, but one crash not a clunker make, does it? Are there more accidents you hadn't mentioned?
Ray Kwong says:
Feb 6, 2012
Could say that my reference to 'clunker' was helo-speak for 'awesome,' but I'd be lying. Instead, it's in reference to the relative age of the Eurocopter Dauphin platform–it's a blast from the past. Other than the accident noted, none other on record. Still, the length of time between prototype and production model makes you wonder.
Craig Scanlan says:
Feb 6, 2012
It's probably "good enough." The Z-10 will likely shoulder the heavy burdens for now. It's definitely something they'll be able to export to countries too cheap for, or not privy to Hinds or Apaches if that's what they'd care to do….
It's acoustic stealth abilities sound somewhat overrated on any modern battlefield though…
Ray Kwong says:
Feb 6, 2012
Yep, the Z-10 is a nice whirlybird, a step down from an Apache or Hind gunship to be sure, but gnarly nonetheless.
Craig Scanlan says:
Feb 7, 2012
I have a soft spot for helicopters that look like US Coast Guard choppers though…. So it's kinda cool looking
Martin Andrew says:
Feb 9, 2012
Forget the jargon and geek speak. The ability to read Chinese is not a skill to be underestimated.
Production of the Z-10 Attack Helicopter ceased after a small quantity are built, with no reason being given for its demise. It is to be replaced by the joint Sino-Russian Z-19 attack helicopter.
The Z-19 design, which is almost finalized, will use the transmission, tail assembly and possibly other components from the Z-9W, which itself is a licensed copy of the Eurocopter Dauphin. The ill-fated purpose built AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter suffered a similar fate, being replaced by the AH-1G Cobra which utilised the transmission, tail and engine from the UH-1C and D Iroquois utility helicopters.
A line drawing shows the fuselage very similar to the Z-10 with a cannon fixed on the bottom left side of the hull and a small radar radome or electro-optical sensor attached to the nose with a pod containing a separate electro-optical targeting system atop that. The Z-10 was planned to give operations staff real- time long range battlefield imagery from its advanced all-weather avionics and targeting systems via data links which will also be part of the Z-19 avionics system. Its armament besides the cannon would be a total of eight Tian Yan 90 air-to-air missiles, eight Hong Jian-10 anti-tank missiles, or rocket and gun pods. It would incorporate an electronic warfare suite including a radar warning receiver and a chaff/flare dispenser.
Ray Kwong says:
Feb 10, 2012
Thanks for the details, Martin. Very much appreciated.
Wilson Chau says:
Jun 21, 2012
Umm. Not to sink your ship, Martin, but the Z-10 is being evaluated by an LH unit (and given LH numbers). I might not be an expert on aviation or someone who has served in the military, but I can tell you that the Z-10 is currently being evaluated. Just because the PLA has not placed a firm order or prefers a batch-by-batch acquisition strategy does not mean the Z-10 production has absolutely ceased.
johnysmith says:
May 31, 2012
As general aviation in the United States slides further into apathy China has discovered how useful a network of general aviation facilities. Is the Future of General Aviation in China?
http://airsoc.com/articles/view/id/4fa177f5c6f8fa…