Damn, that Z-21 is butt ugly. Exactly as a heavy attack helo should be.
Z-21/Z-X heavy attack helicopter
- Thread starter siegecrossbow
- Start date
New, somewhat clearer photo of the Z-21, with the tail number 6232. Posted by @sugar_wsnbn on Twitter.
This appears to be a different model than the one in the video above. It has a backward pointing exhaust, while the one in the video appears to have an IR reducing exhaust pointing upwards.
Also, this one has a gun. It's still too grainy to figure out what caliber cannon that is.
However, it is also clear enough that we can say for sure that this helo has some LO features similar to the Z-10!
oh wow indeedThe earlier pictures of the first prototype we saw, also had a gun
The earlier pictures of the first prototype we saw, also had a gun
But as it seems, no. 6232 does not have the upwards-facing exhausts and it lacks the MMR.
CG imagining.
I'm still a bit skeptical of the role of heavy attack helicopters as close air support vs. MALE or heavy rotary drones. Drones can fulfill 90% of their duties except recon in force (any others?), and how important do we expect recon in force to be, in which theater?
You are mostly right as we can see in recent conflicts. But we also need to realise that fact all the recent conflicts do not 100% represent any future conflicts China might face, either.
So, while China has the time and money to invest in heavy attack helicopters (or any other hardware/technologies) now, it's better to get it done now. Definitely not waiting to find out it's lacking certain military hardware or technologies while an armed conflict is ongoing. Then it will be too late...
It's a bit like school education really. We learn a wide range of subjects to prepare ourselves for the future as long as we can afford to do so. And China right now can afford to do so.
So, while China has the time and money to invest in heavy attack helicopters (or any other hardware/technologies) now, it's better to get it done now. Definitely not waiting to find out it's lacking certain military hardware or technologies while an armed conflict is ongoing. Then it will be too late...
It's a bit like school education really. We learn a wide range of subjects to prepare ourselves for the future as long as we can afford to do so. And China right now can afford to do so.