OT but I wonder how difficult it is to integrate silent hunter type of laser into a modern heavy weight attack chopper like Z-21 here, I would even trade away the cannon for it. 30kW laser should be more than enough to hard kill IR sensor on incoming missiles, giving attack chopper their survivability back
Z-21/Z-X heavy attack helicopter
- Thread starter siegecrossbow
- Start date
I for one is still hopeful that, due to all these new weight savings and new internal space, the new attack helo will have something like Mi-28's dual-feed 30mm 
Heavier (and usually this weight and stress is far from center of gravity), more volume for same ammo.
Fitting full power 23 mm gun isn't that big a problem, fitting powerful 27-30mm gun is a big deal.
IIRC Yankeesama said PLAGF picked the 23mm gun on the Z-10 mostly because it was a light enough weapon system with good enough ballistics and accuracy to engage enemy choppers. It's reasonable to think there is room for a larger gun now that the new platform is larger.
The gun can do many more things now, such as counter UAS. That's kinda why I fancied the dual-feed 2A42 system Mi-28 carries. But of course, PLAGF might feel the extra 2~3 tons can be invested even more into what the Z-10 already does well and potentially even better in the new helo. Of course, the 23 might already be good enough for whatever PLAGF wants an attack helo gun to do.
that's actually a good point, perhaps in the age of drones attack helis may have a heavier role in air defence.
The 30 mm you see on Western helicopters is not a high velocity 30 mm. It is the lower energy 30 x 113 mm cartridge. China has a single 30 mm cartridge in service. It is the 30 x 165 mm Russian.
A gun that is using a high velocity 30 mm would be heavy. I only know of the Russian designs who used such a gun on a helicopter. Some tend to be forward aspect only too (The Ka-50's gun for example). I don't know why they have such guns on their helos. It probably has to do with their concept of employment. The Soviets, and by extension, modern Russia liked climb, approach while hitting, run tactics. The helicopter climbs, spots the enemy, starts to fly on it firing its rockets and autocannon, and then runs away.
Western militaries has stopped to use such tactics after Vietnam. Mobility and ATGM driven tactics define Western attack helicopters. And considering how unsurvivable helos are, even the current Western doctrine is probably outdated. The Russian one? Well, they have been mostly utilizing their attack helicopters as makeshift MRLs that fire suboptimal rockets for that task.
I don't think China will include a high-velocity 30 mm gun on a helicopter. It doesn't make much sense. I also don't think they will introduce a medium-velocity 30 mm just for a single platform. It would be different if they had planned such a cartridge for C-UAS anyway. But have we heard of such a thing? Furthermore is there much 23 mm HE isn't enough but 30 mm HE is?
A gun that is using a high velocity 30 mm would be heavy. I only know of the Russian designs who used such a gun on a helicopter. Some tend to be forward aspect only too (The Ka-50's gun for example). I don't know why they have such guns on their helos. It probably has to do with their concept of employment. The Soviets, and by extension, modern Russia liked climb, approach while hitting, run tactics. The helicopter climbs, spots the enemy, starts to fly on it firing its rockets and autocannon, and then runs away.
Western militaries has stopped to use such tactics after Vietnam. Mobility and ATGM driven tactics define Western attack helicopters. And considering how unsurvivable helos are, even the current Western doctrine is probably outdated. The Russian one? Well, they have been mostly utilizing their attack helicopters as makeshift MRLs that fire suboptimal rockets for that task.
I don't think China will include a high-velocity 30 mm gun on a helicopter. It doesn't make much sense. I also don't think they will introduce a medium-velocity 30 mm just for a single platform. It would be different if they had planned such a cartridge for C-UAS anyway. But have we heard of such a thing? Furthermore is there much 23 mm HE isn't enough but 30 mm HE is?