Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC)
Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt
CAIC Industry
Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt
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| A Z-10 displaying at the 2012 China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition. | |
| Role | Attack helicopter |
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| Manufacturer | Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) |
| Design group | Kamov |
| First flight | 29 April 2003 |
| Introduction | December 2012 |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army Ground Force Pakistan Army Aviation Corps |
| Produced | 2003-present |
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History Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC)
Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt
Specifications for the WZ-9 turboshaft engine that is installed in Z-10 for mass production : Power: 930 - 957 kW Fuel consumption: 0.311 kg/(kW·h) Pressure ratio: > 8 Inlet temperature: 1355 degrees Celsius Power-to-weight ratio: 5.4 The WZ-9 has been updated with a new variant, the WZ-9G, with a higher thrust of 1200 kW.
Design
The Kamov design bureau was contracted to perform the development work under a secret contract. Kamov worked with the Chinese to establish base specifications, such as weight, speed, and payload capacity, after which they had full freedom to design the helicopter. Kamov designed, tested, and verified an early stage of helicopter design, after which it was provided to the Chinese team and was substantially modified. Although the earliest stage of the design was made in Russia, the prototype construction, flight testing, and further development was performed by the Chinese.
Flight instrumentation
There are two configurations of the flight instrumentation for Z-10, one developed from a similar foreign system (rumored to be French), and the other one indigenously-developed, and both configurations share the same holographic heads-up display. The difference in layout between the two configurations is that in one configuration, there are three color LCD multi-function displays (MFD), while in the other, these are replaced by two larger LCD MFDs. It's not clear which one originated from the foreign system and which is indigenously developed, but it's reported that the practice of having different configurations, thanks to the modular design, is for export purposes, to fit the potential customer countries’ pilots’ habits. However, in early 2018, it was revealed that the 2-piece MFD version was the one selected to enter service
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Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC)
Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt
Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 14.15 m (46 ft 5 in)
- Height: 3.85 m (12 ft 8 in) []
- Empty weight: 5,100 kg (11,244 lb)
- Gross weight: 5,540 kg (12,214 lb)
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Powerplant
- Max takeoff weight: 7,000 kg
- Powerplant: 2 × WZ-9 turboshaft engines, 930–957 kW (1,247–1,283 hp) each []
- Main rotor diameter: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Specifications
- Maximum speed: 270 km/h
- Cruise speed: 230 km/h
- Range: 800 km (500 mi, 430 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 6,400 m
- g limits: +3
Armament
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- Guns: 1x 23 mm (0.906 in) PX-10A revolver cannon or 1x 25 mm (0.984 in) M242 Bushmaster chain gun copy
- Hardpoints: 4 with a capacity of 1,500 kg (3,307 lb) useful load
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Links to Youtube & Others
Operators People's Republic of China People's Liberation Army — 208 units in service as of 2022. People's Liberation Army Ground Force — 200 units of Z-10 variants[37] People's Liberation Army Air Force Airborne Corps — 8 units of Z-10K Pakistan Islamic Republic of Pakistan Pakistan Army Aviation Corps — 3 Z-10ME In Service as of 2022
Changhe Aircraft, Z-10 Fierce Thunderbolt
The stepped tandem cockpit houses two aviators – the gunner in the back and the pilot in the front – different from the conventional layout of most attack helicopters.
Youtube Link
The canopy of the cockpit is specially treated to prevent glare from the sun, and, as an additional option, a tanned version is also available for camouflage purposes
Read more in China Aviation
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