Z-10
Sign in to saveAlso known as CAIC WZ-10, WZ10, Changhe Z-10, CAIC Z-10, Z10, Pi Li Huo, Fierce Thunderbolt, Changhe WZ-10
attack helicopter
Key facts
- Type
- Attack helicopter
- Manufacturer
- Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC)
- Designer
- 602nd Aircraft Design Institute , Kamov Design Bureau
- Status
- In service
- Primary user
- People's Liberation Army Ground Force Aviation , People's Liberation Army Air Force , Pakistan Army Aviation Corps
- Manufactured
- 2003-present
- First flight
- 29 April 2003
via Wikipedia infobox
~28 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The Changhe Z-10 (Chinese: 直-10; pinyin: Zhí-Shí; lit. 'helicopter-10') is a Chinese medium-weight, twin-turboshaft, attack helicopter built by the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation for the People's Liberation Army Ground Force Aviation. Designed by 602nd Aircraft Design Institute of Aviation Industry Corporation of China and Kamov Design Bureau, the aircraft is intended primarily for antitank warfare missions with secondary air-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, while prototyping was conducted by the 602nd Aircraft Design Institute of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The Z-10 first flew on 29 April 2003 and entered Chinese Army Aviation service in 2009.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Z-10” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.