At Airshow China 2018, which took place in November in Zhuhai, Guangdong, AVIC (the Aviation Industry Corporation of China) officially unveiled the Z-10ME, an improved variant of Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation’s (CAIC) Z-10 attack helicopter.
Incorporating a wide-array of improvements in its onboard electronics suite, weapons compatibility and to the airframe, AVIC is actively marketing the Z-10ME for export. Thus far, three Z-10s were extensively tested by the Pakistan Army Aviation Corps (PAA) in 2015 and 2016.
According to AVIC (via Shephard Media), the Z-10ME incorporates “sand filters for the engines, infrared suppressors, crash-resistant seats for pilots and bullet-resistant armour for the cockpit.”[1] In other words, increasing survivability and pilot/personnel-protection was a key impetus to improving the Z-10.
However, ‘iterative’ would understate the intended impact of these improvements. Besides adding to the Z-10’s defensive characteristics, the Z-10ME also brings new offensive capabilities as well.
These capabilities include compatibility with the CM-501XA miniature cruise missile, ET60 324 mm anti-submarine warfare (ASW) torpedo, and SW6 air-launched drone.[2] Like the Z-10ME, AVIC is marketing each of these munitions for export.[3] AVIC is also marketing HJ-10 and TL-4 anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM).[4]
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