Z-19 armed recon helicopter

kwaigonegin said:

So the Z-19 doesn't have a minigun or cannon of any sort? that's a tad dissapointing.

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The picture that was PSed was the Japanese OH-1. But yes neither OH-1 or Z-19 have mounted cannons. No surprise given their roles.

According to Weibo, this is the test flight of the 80th Z-19

Z-19 Longbow?

Z-19 is a beautiful scout to me. It was however a bit of a surprise to see one receive a MMR before the Z-10. However, given that the radar was first tested on a Z-9 variant (test platform), perhaps it is not a surprise that we see a Z-19 installed with it (MMR) first: the Z-19 design is basically derived from the Z-9, therefore integration will be faster or at least easier mechanically wise.

Perhaps they are using that particular Z-19 to test how they can best use their new MMR? Z-19 is a tandem configuration like the Z-10; as oppose to the Z-9 sitting configuration compared against the Z-10?

Either way, that Z-19 looks fantastic!

Jovian

Four possibilities I see,
One the Z19 is more conservative in that it is in essence a massively modified Z9. This means the builder maybe more confident about integrating the MMR but eventually they will be retrofit.
Two, they are planning a doctrine that could be called hounds and hunters where Z19 probes ahead and uses its Data link to send targeting information to Z10s. Z19 being the hounds Z10s being the hunters.
three, the Z10 has a MMR version but security is better.
Four they will hold of on Z10 MMR waiting for the heavyweight attack helicopter program instead.

TerraN_EmpirE said:

Four possibilities I see,
One the Z19 is more conservative in that it is in essence a massively modified Z9. This means the builder maybe more confident about integrating the MMR but eventually they will be retrofit.
Two, they are planning a doctrine that could be called hounds and hunters where Z19 probes ahead and uses its Data link to send targeting information to Z10s. Z19 being the hounds Z10s being the hunters.
three, the Z10 has a MMR version but security is better.
Four they will hold of on Z10 MMR waiting for the heavyweight attack helicopter program instead.

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I think the concept of using a hound-hunter type deployment is obsolete ever since the Apache Longbow came along. There's simply no reason to risk more asset when the mission can be fulfilled by Z-10s. My money is on the Z-10 having an MMR as well. With that said, there's no reason the Z-19 shouldn't have it as well, and we see that indeed they do.

volleyballer said:

I think the concept of using a hound-hunter type deployment is obsolete ever since the Apache Longbow came along. There's simply no reason to risk more asset when the mission can be fulfilled by Z-10s. My money is on the Z-10 having an MMR as well. With that said, there's no reason the Z-19 shouldn't have it as well, and we see that indeed they do.

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Maybe in a hound hunter type mission yes but a dedicated platform for recon will never become not become obsolete for a very long time.Maybe in the next 20 or 30 years etc but certainly not in the immediate future. The Longbows basically combines the two capabilities into a single platform however I think a dedicated scout or a lightly armed scout like the Kiowas are still very much in demand. They are cheaper to build, easier to fly and unfortunately more expendable but can provide good battleground info for the warplanners. It's also an overkill to send an Apache Longbow everytime for reconaissance mission.
If anything manned scout choppers will be replace not by the all in one attack helicopters but rather by drones in the future.

Some high-resolution photos of Z-19...

Continued...

Again a very nice looking helo close up shows the attention to detail