CAIC Z-10 Pi Li Huo

     Notes:  Bearing a marked resemblance to the Italian Mangusta, rumors state that the Chinese had Israeli help in designing the Z-10 Pi Li Huo (Fierce Thunderbolt.)  The Chinese also inadvertently had Italian help, as the Chinese tested the Mangusta in the 1990s. The Russian firm of Kamov also aided the Chinese under a secret contract, which Kamov hid from the Russian government until Western reporters revealed this cooperation in the early 2000s. The Z-10 is China’s primary attack helicopter, replacing the numerous types of armed cargo helicopters formerly used by China.  The Z-10 (sometimes called the WZ-10) is primarily a ground attack/antiarmor helicopter, but is also built to withstand dogfighting and has a secondary mission of tangling with other countries’ attack helicopters and UAVs. Design work began in 1979, but it was 1998 before prototypes appeared, 2003 before any test flights were conducted, and it was only 2016 before it entered service under LRIP with the PLAGAF.  The Chinese had a great difficulty designing an effective antitank missile for the Z-10, and eventually they “acquired” the plans for the US Hellfire missile and these are now the primary armament for the Z-10, being designated the HJ-10.  Most Z-10s are serving with the PLAGAF, but a small number are being tested for use by the PLAN in an antiship/antisubmarine role. The Chinese, by 2018, had almost all their delivered to the PLAGAF, and five delivered to the PLAN for testing. The Z-10 is currently being offered on the international market, and almost the entire helicopter has modular systems, allowing CAIC to tailor the Z-10 to a customer’s needs and wishes.

The Basic Z-10

     The Z-10 is primarily constructed of aircraft aluminum alloy, but there is also a lot of composite materials used in the Z-10, primarily to decrease weight and increase strength in critical areas.  Several major subassemblies, for example, are made of composites, including the rotor blades, tail rotor and housing (the Z-10 has a fenestron tail rotor, which means the rotor is completely enclosed in the tail assembly), and much of the nose.  The cockpit area has aluminum/composite/Kevlar armor, and the Chinese say that the cockpit armor is comparable to Western attack helicopters.  There are two configurations of flight instruments for the Z-10, one rumored to be copied from French systems, and one which is indigenously-developed.  The French-derived instrument layout has three MFD LCD panels, while the Chinese instrumentation has two larger MFD, which are LCD touchscreens.  The French instrumentation version is being retrofitted with the Chinese instrumentation; this makes sense, as the Chinese cockpit is more advanced than the French-derived cockpit.  For export, CAIC will equip the Z-10 with whatever instrumentation the customer desires, as the entire cockpit is modular.

     Accommodations consist of a pilot in the lower front seat and the WSO in the upper rear seat.  The pilot uses the first HOTAS controls for Chinese helicopters, though it has traditional helicopter controls as a backup.

     Navigations systems include a ring laser gyroscope; this system is primarily for use in keeping the helicopter orientated properly.  Currently, the Z-10 uses a radar altimeter, though this scheduled to be replaced with a laser altimeter in the near future. The Z-10 uses an advanced version of Pulse Doppler Navigational radar, which includes weather radar, a navigation system based on GLONASS with an inertial navigation backup, ground mapping, and terrain avoidance/following capability.  The Z-10 may also carry the Blue Sky pod, which is similar to the US LANTIRN system.  The Z-10 is equipped with the Chinese equivalent of a BMS, and has extra radios allowing it to talk to ground forces, other helicopters, aircraft, and naval forces.  The Z-10 is able to operate as an aerial FALO team, and is equipped with a variety of telescopic, night vision, and radar systems, as well as a laser designator with a reported range of 12,000 meters.

     The Z-10 has an extensive EW suite, which is also integrated with the radar, RWR, and IFF systems.  This includes ECM, IRCM, and flares and chaff.  The Z-10 is also able to carry various ECM and IRCM pods, as well as pods that produce extra flares or chaff.  The Z-10 also has a capable ECCM capability.

The fire control system is primarily electro-optical, but also uses fire control computers and a long-range laser rangefinder.  The fire control system is slaved to the WSO’s HMS and the cockpit displays. The fire control systems compensate for helicopter movement, to the point that dogfighting with other helicopters is possible.  There is extensive night vision, along with VADS.  Unlike most Western attack helicopters, which use a monocular HMS, the Z-10 used a binocular HMS, and then changed back to a single large monocular.  Some Z-110s are equipped with MMW radar based on Kamov’s Arabelet/FH-101 system used on the Ka-50N, but this is not standard equipment on the Z-10 yet because the Z-10’s MMW was not ready for service at the time of the PLA’s adoption of the Z-10.

     The Z-10 is powered by two WQ-9 turboshaft engine, with 1341 horsepower each. This is considered to be underpowered by many combat aeronautics experts; they believe that the Z-10 probably behaves sluggishly, not maneuvering or accelerating very well.  Like many helicopters, the Z-10 carries an APU, generally for starting the engine and keeping the helicopter hot-running during a short landing. However, due to the low power of its engines, the APU also provides power to the avionics when in flight.  The Z-10 does have TFR, and can fly at very low-level safely; above reasonably flat terrain, some pilots have been able to safely fly the Z-10 for short distances at altitudes as little as 10 meters. The outer rotors are made of glass fiber/carbon fiber composites, but the insides are of foamed composites, which was a new technology for the Chinese.  The method of producing the rotor blades is novel, and CAIC won two patents in the process of designing the blades. This makes the main rotors strong but light.  The main rotor is a five-bladed design; the tail rotor has six blades.

     The Z-10’s modular nature allows it to carry a variety of weapons.  The Z-10 has winglets that have two underwinglet hardpoints and another hardpoint on the tips of the winglets; these winglet tip hardpoints may mount only air-to-air versions of the FN-6 or QW-series shoulder-mounted SAMs (four total), or two larger heat-seeking AAMs such as the PL-9, or EW pods. Air-to-ground rockets as large as 130mm, but more normal rockets are pods of 20, 37, 57, or 90mm rockets.  Of course, the Z-10 may fire the aforementioned HJ-10, or winglet-mounted machineguns or light autocannons. The Z-10 has a chin turret mounting a 23mm Chinese copy of the Russian GSh-23 autocannon.  The Z-10 may also mount a Chinese reverse-engineered version of the M242 25mm Bushmaster, and this may supplant the 23mm autocannon as it is more effective.  Other possible guns for the chin turret are a 14.5mm Gatling gun, and 12.7mm or 7,.62mm Gatling guns mounted singly, in pairs, or mixed pairs.  The chin turret may also mount a Chinese version of the 30mm AG-30 automatic grenade launcher. It should be noted that while the Chinese have rated the Z-10 to carry up to 16 HJ-10 ATGM, the engines are widely thought to not have enough power to both lift and maneuver with 16 HJ-10s (which are heavier than true Hellfires), and that a more reasonable load is eight HJ-010s maximum.

    Though the above applies to almost all variants of the Z-10, it should be noted that the actual designation of “Z-10” applies only to the late pre-production trials prototypes.

Z-10H

     The Chinese, unimpressed with the power of its WQ-9 engines, obtained plans for the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67C,  These engines had a power output of 1600 horsepower each, The sale of this engine technology to China caused a storm of controversy with the US, where the base company of Pratt & Whitney is located, United Technologies and Hamilton Sundstrand also cried foul, as they contributed to the engine’s design.  In the end, Prat & Whitney Canada ended up paying the US government $75 million as a fine for an illegal technology transfer.  After this, as pleased as the Chinese were the Pratt & Whitney engines, decided to forgo them and lie low.  It is rumored, however, thar the Z-10H may make a reappearance, perhaps with a different designation, using copied PT6C-67 engines in the near future.

Z-10K

  This is an “economy” export version of the Z-10, with WZ-9 1247-horsepower turboshaft engines.  Due to the drastic decrease in power, much of the avionics had to be removed, and the entire aircraft is a simplified version of its former self, with less speed, less maneuverability, less acceleration, and less lifting capability. Armor is also reduced to save weight.

Z-10M

     This version was built specifically to compete for Pakistan’s attack helicopter competition.  It is essentially an export version with the removed equipment from the Z-10K added back and the engines replaced with 1475 horsepower W-9C turboshaft engines.  Though Pakistan went with the Mangusta, the Z-10M is still offered on the export market, and the PLAGAF is considering putting it into service.

Z-10A

     This was the former standard version of the Z-10 for the PLA; it has 1300-horsepower engines, and is capable of lifting the desired loads and maintain agility and speed.  Despite the Chinese being pleased with its performance, they are currently converting their Z-10As to the more powerful and advanced ME standard.

Z-10ME

     This is currently the definitive version of the Z-10, used by the PLA and PLAN.  It has both active and passive ECM, a missile launch detector, IR masking for its engines, more powerful 1610-horsepoower engines, a larger cannon ammunition magazine, and better armoring by using graphene panels in critical places. The Z-10ME is in fact able to carry the 16 HJ-10 missiles originally envisioned by the Chinese.

Z-10 MMW

     Currently in testing, this is a Z-10ME with a mast-mounted MMW radar system.

Z-10N

    This is the Naval version, currently in trials by with the PLAN.  The primary difference is the weapons carried; it uses a 23mm autocannon, and generally carries mini-depth charges on one winglet (normally four) and a sonar pod on the other winglet. Hardpoints generally carry antiship missiles; the exact number depends on which missiles are carried.. Some avionics are removed in comparison to the Z-10A, but the Z-10N is also similar to the Z-10A.  The Z-10N retains the Z-10A’s autocannon armament, but carries less ammunition to make way for the sonar addition.

*The Z-10 has an armored cockpit and the cockpit has an AV of 10.

**The Z-10K has an armored cockpit and the cockpit has an AV of 7.