For several days now Chinese social media, websites and blogs have been showing grainy images of the new Chinese Z-XX or Z-21 attack helicopter. can be seen. This “Chinese Apache” is apparently a further development of the Z-20, which is itself a clone of the S-70 Black Hawk previously procured from the USA.
The Z-20 had been further developed by China in recent years for armed transport and maritime missions. The new aircraft now appears to build on the model’s engine and powertrain, prompting speculation as to what China (still) needs a new pure combat helicopter for, and what additional capabilities the new model might offer over the already-introduced Z-10 (or an upgraded version of it, such as the Z-10ME export version shown in Singapore last month). And whatever these capabilities might be, what is the reason that they cannot simply be integrated into a Z-10 upgrade?
One possible answer could lie in China’s interest in shared commonality and better modularity with the Z-20. This was introduced in the People’s Army from 2013 and – with five instead of four rotor blades and the tail rotor on the other side – is derived from the 24 “civilian” S-70C-2s that were officially sold to China in 1984. Past experience has shown that modularity means safer and faster development, production and maintenance. This would be important when the Z20/Z21 series and subsequent variants are produced in large numbers. On the other hand, the biggest change is probably the total weight (MTOW). The Z-10 is a 7-ton weight class machine, while the Z-21 is likely to be in the 10-ton weight class, similar to the US AH-64 Apache or the Russian Mi-28 (NATO: Havoc) A higher MTOW means more armor, more sensors, more weapons, more fuel, or any combination thereof. If you had wanted to make the Z-10 3 tons heavier with a new engine and drivetrain, this would have basically meant the development and construction of a new helicopter.
もう飛んでいるところまで映像が出てきたZ-XXくん。
こいつを今更作ってるのはやっぱ、Z-10には足りない、航続距離の強化と重武装へリの必要性ってことなんかね Z-20ベースってことは最大離陸重量は単純に上だろうし、航続距離も増える。 単純にZ-10の上位互換な気がする
– 妄想的な野菜生活(ウクライナダボス商工会議所) (@WangHuo62655) March 22, 2024
As for the Mi-28, with which the new attack helicopter bears a certain resemblance (from some angles) according to the first available images, it is often compared to the AH-64E Apache, but in fact the differences are quite significant. Havoc, for example, carries almost twice as much armament as the Apache (of which China’s regional rival India has now also commissioned its first of 28 ordered aircraft), despite being only one ton heavier in MTOW. This shows how a gradual improvement in capacity can lead to a significant increase in a helicopter’s combat capability.
Black Hawk clone with tandem cockpit
In the pictures showing the new helicopter from below, the boxy “cheek” fairings, as found on the AH-64D/E, are immediately noticeable, extending from the nose to the tail boom. While its mass is visibly in stark contrast to the Z-10’s slender body, the new helicopter’s fuselage is in the typical two-seat tandem configuration found on most modern attack helicopters. The almost identical tail boom, the plate-like, unswept horizontal tailplane and the tail unit also come from the Z-20. The stub wings already appear to be fitted with some pylons, which probably carry test equipment for the time being. At the same time, an air data probe is fitted in the nose of the helicopter, as is usual for flight tests. No nose cannon has been installed so far, but this will probably be available in the future. And a self-defense system is apparently already built into the new design, as there are antennas and protrusions around the fuselage that are probably related to this. In addition, the engine exhaust outlets are directed upwards, a typical measure to reduce the infrared signature when pursued by ground-based air defense systems.
According to reports, the state-owned companies Harbin (responsible for the Z-20) and Changhe, which produced the Z-10 combat helicopter, are involved in the development of the Z-21. The 602nd Research Institute, which played a key role in the development of that Z-10, is now also to be involved in the development of the larger Z-21. According to as yet unconfirmed reports, the Z-21 is to enter service in just two to three years. This seems ambitious, as the first rumors about the maiden flight or first test flights of the aforementioned Z-XX only emerged in January of this year. On the other hand, the Z-20 has already been spotted with weapons, cannons and sensors that could be associated with the new combat helicopter design.
Chinese combat helicopter technology
The Chinese received their first combat helicopter in the Western sense with the Z-9WA, an armed version of the Z-9 light multi-purpose helicopter, which is also used for anti-submarine warfare on Chinese Navy (PLAN) ships. It was equipped with anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), which was a powerful new capability at the time. The experience gained with the Z-9WA then fed directly into the requirements for the currently widely used Z-10, which entered service in 2010 as a true combat helicopter with the familiar two-seat tandem configuration and was armed with a new generation of ATGMs.
This was followed two years later by the Z-19, a two-seater reconnaissance and attack helicopter developed by Harbin as a further development of the Z-9, which is clearly smaller than the Z-10 and has a maximum take-off weight of around 4.3 tons. The Z-19 fulfills a similar function to the (now decommissioned) OH-58D Kiowa of the US Army and is often used together with the Z-10 for armed reconnaissance and target recognition. The latter, in turn, arose from the army’s unbroken demand for a “real” more modern combat helicopter, which led to China asking several foreign countries for proposals. Rumors therefore persist that the design of the Z-10 originated from the Russian Kamov design bureau and that China had also made a direct purchase of either the Ukraine war Ka-52 (NATO: Hokum, with coaxial rotor) or the Mi-28. In the end, no purchase was made, but as with previous aircraft, China is likely to have been inspired by details of the Russian aircraft when designing its new rotorcraft.
Time and again the engines
The first test examples of the Z-10 were powered by PT-6C turboshaft engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada, but stricter US export restrictions meant that these had to be replaced in the production aircraft by less powerful WZ-9s manufactured in China. Numerous reports indicate that their lower performance over the disputed high-altitude border regions between India and China significantly limits their use in the airborne corps of the PLA and the PLAAF. This is also confirmed by the Indians with regard to their Lama (Alouette) and Mi-17. For this reason, China’s most important ally Pakistan may also have rejected the Z-10 as a combat helicopter, although the helicopter was evaluated in the country, which was confirmed by visible PAF insignia on the pilots who flew it. The type has also been used in amphibious operations during exercises, but has not yet been introduced by the PLAN Marine Corps.
Nevertheless, recent developments in Chinese aircraft engines are now apparently enabling better engines that can power a heavier combat helicopter – such as the current Z-21. As the WZ-10 turboshaft engine for the Z-20 is already significantly more powerful than the T700 currently installed in the Apache, the Chinese designers are likely to have met the People’s Liberation Army’s desire for a heavier and more powerful combat helicopter than the Z-10 with an even more powerful engine.
Against West and East
A helicopter the size of the Z-21 is also likely to play a key role in the event of an actual military offensive against Taiwan. US officials recently “predicted” that such a scenario would occur in 2027 and the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) even recently played out a Chinese invasion as part of a major wargame.. The emergence of a large new military helicopter base in eastern China, very close to the Taiwan Strait, evident in satellite imagery, suggests that rotary-wing aircraft of various types are likely to be increasingly used in controlling the Strait or in a possible attack on Taiwan.
In western China, the new helicopter is likely to be used primarily on the “Line of Actual Control” (LAC) along the long and historically disputed border with India. Helicopters are now indispensable there for rapid troop movements and logistics tasks as well as for emergency relief operations. In the inhospitable high mountain region, which is referred to as “the plateau” by both China and India, a dozen airfields for conventional aircraft as well as several brand new and generously proportioned Chinese helicopter bases (see map above).
