Z-10 thread

[Deino]

Its not only the IR jammers but they seem to have revived the original design. They had to abandone the original design and make compromises because of weight. The WZ-9 engines was to weak to take on the weight. Now that they have revived that old original design means that they have been able to solve the engine problems.
....

But are we sure that these are new-build aircraft ??

IMO it simply does not make any sense to have the original configuration, that was too heavy due to a limited engine output ... then to redesign the fuselage in parts, the tail + gear as well as the canopy ... build several (and we speak of really many) of these weight-reduced serial standard airframes and now suddenly with reportedly a new engine - and here I'm even more skeptical than the often mentioned WZ-16 is not ready yet - all the weight reductions were left and the old heavy airframe used again.
IMO it would simply make much more sense to retain the standard airframe and simply add the new engine !

As such I'm now almost sure that they are in fact not a new build Z-10A, H or K version but simply a few refurbished prototypes and pre-serials modified to be assigned to an operational unit.

Just my 2 Cents.

Deino

 

[Franklin]

But are we sure that these are new-build aircraft ??

IMO it simply does not make any sense to have the original configuration, that was too heavy due to a limited engine output ... then to redesign the fuselage in parts, the tail + gear as well as the canopy ... build several (and we speak of really many) of these weight-reduced serial standard airframes and now suddenly with reportedly a new engine - and here I'm even more skeptical than the often mentioned WZ-16 is not ready yet - all the weight reductions were left and the old heavy airframe used again.
IMO it would simply make much more sense to retain the standard airframe and simply add the new engine !

As such I'm now almost sure that they are in fact not a new build Z-10A, H or K version but simply a few refurbished prototypes and pre-serials modified to be assigned to an operational unit.

Just my 2 Cents.

Deino

This is part of the fun following the PLA. Since they don't give too many official statements it becomes a giant guessing game. Your guesses are as good as mine. Or perhabs better than mine.

But my view is that they have got a more powerful version of the WZ-9 turboshaft engine and can now turn back some of the compromises they made earlier and go back to something closer to the original design. Bigger sensors means more powerful sensors.

Its very likely that they have a more powerful turboshaft engine available to them other than the WZ-16. The WZ-9 has been in production for 5 or 6 years now and they could have developed a more powerful version in that time. I mean they are building that 10 ton Black Hawk like helicopter the Z-20 with some kind of domestic engine. It could be that the Z-20 is using a foreign engine but I doubt it. There is no news from Russia or Ukraine that China has signed a big deal to buy turboshaft engines from them. And since the West isn't selling to them the only alternative is domestic.

 

[Deino]

Agreed ... but simply IMO it does not make sense to revert to an older, heavier fuselage design - and here most of all the tail and canopy - and at the same time loosing even more of the additional power output of an uprated engine. I would simply retail the now proven and lighter airframe and add the new engines as well as the new / old / better / heavier sensors.

Anyway ... some day we will hopefully know.
Deino

 

[Franklin]

rn ba

Agreed ... but simply IMO it does not make sense to revert to an older, heavier fuselage design - and here most of all the tail and canopy - and at the same time loosing even more of the additional power output of an uprated engine. I would simply retail the now proven and lighter airframe and add the new engines as well as the new / old / better / heavier sensors.

Anyway ... some day we will hopefully know.
Deino

Heavier airframe means better armour. I don't think China is content with a light European AH like platform but are aiming higher. The Z-10 is I think meant to be in between the heavier AH's like the Apache and the Mi-28 on the one hand and the lighter European platforms like the Eurocopter Tiger on the other hand. But what ever that new engine is its a massive leap from what has come before if 2 of them can power a 10 ton platform.

 

[Deino]

rn ba

Heavier airframe means better armour. I don't think China is content with a light European AH like platform but are aiming higher. The Z-10 is I think meant to be in between the heavier AH's like the Apache and the Mi-28 on the one hand and the lighter European platforms like the Eurocopter Tiger on the other hand. But what ever that new engine is its a massive leap from what has come before if 2 of them can power a 10 ton platform.

Why ??? If You add additional heavy parts on the tail gear ???

Finally I only agree that there might be a newer uprated WZ-9 version installed, but what hard facts do we have to assume that a new engines is installed ??

 

[Franklin]

Why ??? If You add additional heavy parts on the tail gear ???

Finally I only agree that there might be a newer uprated WZ-9 version installed, but what hard facts do we have to assume that a new engines is installed ??

We don't, as I said your guesses are as good as mine.

Here is another picture. the pictures looks like they are scans from a magazine. There are quite a few of these "newer" versions. It does look like a (pre) production run to me. Can someone read what it says at the bottom in Chinese ?

 

[SpicySichuan]

We don't, as I said your guesses are as good as mine.

Here is another picture. the pictures looks like they are scans from a magazine. There are quite a few of these "newer" versions. It does look like a (pre) production run to me. Can someone read what it says at the bottom in Chinese ?

"Another set of Z-10 qualified from test flights, ready to be delivered."

 

[by78]

206 Research Institute's mast mounted milliwave radar with SAR (synthetic aperture radar), ISAR (reverse synthetic aperture radar), and DBS (doppler beam sharpening).

 

[Silvestre]

This reminds about BlackHawks in US Military etc.

 

[Deino]

This reminds about BlackHawks in US Military etc.

Pardon, but why the US Blackhowks ??? Depicted is a light-recce/armed scout helicopter ... and even more the Blackhawk does not use a MMW-radar.