China Armed Forces No.21

    By Mo Xiong

    On Nov.11, 2012, China's latest attack helicopter appeared at the Zhuhai Sanzao Airport for the ninth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition (the Zhuhai Airshow).

    In a 20-minute display, it conducted maneuvers that were beyond its predecessors, such as inverted flight and the "renversement" (a half roll followed by a half turn) stall. Then it returned to an airbase of the Guangzhou Military Area Command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). This brief star turn was reported to be the debut of the new generation of army helicopter, the WZ-10.

    Helicopters are vital to the ability of a modern army to deploy rapidly and carry out vertical insertions.

    China formed its first army air corps on a small scale in January 1988. More than 20 years on, it has expanded its range of helicopters capable of attack, patrol, transport, rescue and communication.

    However, Chinese military helicopters, especially attack helicopters, have lagged well behind those of the world’s advanced powers in terms of numbers and quality.

    This made the appearance of the WZ-10 at the Zhuhai Airshow of major interest.

    Before the WZ-10, China had no specialized attack helicopter, but it was listed as a priority project in the government’s 11th Five Year Plan for 2006-2010.

    Weighing about 5.5 tonnes, the WZ-10 is a medium-sized attack helicopter. Its tandem cockpit takes a weapons operator in the front seat and a pilot in the back.

    It also features stealth technologies. Its body is made of nano-materials; the main rotors and scissor-shape tail rotors are designed to give off little noise.

    Its weaponry includes a 23mm rapid fire single-barrel nose-mounted gun, rocket points, precision-guided munitions, anti-tank missiles and air-to-air missiles.

    The WZ-10 has changed the capacities of the PLA's army air corps. In November 2012, it was reported that units equipped with the WZ-10 had altered training exercises. Previously, pilots would conduct hovering flight, landing and formation maneuvers when a new type of helicopter entered service. With the WZ-10, they were conducting dog fights, and practicing opening up new battlefields.

    The designers are confident of the capabilities of the WZ-10 and have nicknamed it "Thunder Fire" after the valiant General Qin Ming from the Chinese classic novel, All Men are Brothers.

    WZ-10 chief designer Wu Ximing said China's research and development abilities were close to the world's advanced levels, and the advanced technologies of the WZ-10 were among the top three helicopters of its kind.

    He said the WZ-10 had a slightly weaker engine, bomb load and fire power than the U.S. Apache AH64D Longbow attack helicopter, but it surpassed the Apache in maneuverability and air combat capabilities.

    Du Wenlong, of the PLA Academy of Military Science, said the WZ-10 would revolutionize Chinese forces that had been equipped with the previous general attack helicopters, which had weaker combat capacities.

    The WZ-10 is reported to be performing well. In the winter of 2012, the PLA's Shenyang Military Area Command held an attack drill in severe weather conditions. Several WZ-10s skimmed over a snow-covered landscape in a missile attack that had 100-percent accuracy.

    Evaluation results show the WZ-10 has performed well in various weathers and complicated environments.

    Major General Yin Zhuo, director of the expert committee for informatization of China's navy, said the WZ-10 could also serve in airborne task forces and the Marine Corps, where it could operate from amphibious vessels to carry out long-distance strikes at sea or on land. (Translated by Hu Tao)