Z-21/Z-X heavy attack helicopter

holy crap this is real, I thought it was always a baseless rumor.

I'm thinking what the best use case of this would be and how it would distinguish itself from AH-64 and Ka-52.

Another fan rendering, this one with the assumption of 3rd pylon

It looks pretty official. The frame, seat arrangement, what not all seems very custom made compared to original Z-20 attack version.


^ Simply Z-20 with weapons.



New Z-20 based attack helicopter has a lot of differences. This is way too much effort to be a stopgap.

In terms of combat payload it don't look very different from Z-10 series. I am assuming all those space and weight went to fuel and electronics.

FairAndUnbiased said:

holy crap this is real, I thought it was always a baseless rumor.

I'm thinking what the best use case of this would be and how it would distinguish itself from AH-64 and Ka-52.

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AH-64 has 4 blades (Z-21/Z-XX has 5 blades), while Ka-52 has coaxial rotors (Z-21/Z-XX has none) alongside being wider for side-by-side pilot seating config (Z-21/Z-XX has tandem pilot seating config).

ACuriousPLAFan said:

AH-64 has 4 blades (Z-21/Z-XX has 5 blades), while Ka-52 has coaxial rotors (Z-21/Z-XX has none).

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I am going to guess it has a very long operation range. Z-10 already have more than both of those at 800km. Considering this thing weight more than Z-10 without more weapon payload, I am guessing very very long operational range.

It'll likely take another year or two before we get a better picture of this new attach helicopter, but if they got the resources to R&D one that shares obvious commonality with the Z-20 platform, it means baseline Z-20 production run as well as other known derivatives of the Z-20 series are progressing well.

TK3600 said:

I am going to guess it has a very long operation range. Z-10 already have more than both of those at 800km. Considering this thing weight more than Z-10 without more weapon payload, I am guessing very very long operational range.

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Or, a larger payload capacity / long endurance than current line of Z-10, and with more passive/active suites already installed instead of bolt-on patch work like with Z-10ME iteration.

MrCrazyBoyRavi said:

Bro. Thats ditto apache. First blackhawk and now apache. It doesn’t look good on PLA. They could had chose any external design but ended up copying US helicopter design.

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Form follows function. Z20 was designed after the PLA’s two decades of existence with S70 Blackhawks. Blackhawk looks the way it does as the U.S. Army laid out requirements for crash absorbing wheeled gear as opposed to the H1’s struts or the retractable gear on a civilian helicopter.
In Attack Helicopters again form follows function. The basic configuration is the same across any number of different aircraft. Many old coldwar aircraft recognition books used the AH64 profile to stand in for the then rumored Mi28. The T929 mockups have the same configuration. Tiger helicopter and Rooivalk also have the same configuration. The KA50 family doesn’t follow this sure but it wasn’t supposed to be a conventional attack helicopter. The Soviets have the Mi28 for that. It was supposed to be a sort of scout attack helicopter.
the Mi24 doesn’t either but that’s because the Soviets were trying to make a helicopter that both transported assault troops and was a gunship. The result is less than great at either role.
The final one that breaks the mold was the one that set the mold the AH1 Cobra family,
But that breaks the mold in that it was so early it was powered by a single engine originally and armed with a grenade launcher and Minigun in the nose turret for mostly rockets. It has skids because those transitioned from its parent the UH1. Later it gained a second engine and moved to a 20mm Gatling gun for the super cobra but it’s always been a mixed Scout attack helicopter.
Now you could break out some experimental models but they are all just that experimental or failed. The form that sticks the most is known. Two tandem seats, fixed reversed tricycle gear with crash absorbers, conventional rotor with high mounted tail twin engine, belly gun, stub wings. It looks like Apache because for an attack helicopter that’s the most successful configuration.

ACuriousPLAFan said:

I suppose that India, South Korea and Turkey could have chosen any external design but ended up copying the US' F-22 and F-35 designs instead?

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They also consulted with LM at least on the KF21.
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latenlazy said:

还可以吧

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Seriously, this copter is truly ugly. I’m sure it packs lots of punch, but the exterior is just plain ugly. Nothing like the sexiness of Su-27, Z-20, Blackhawks, etc. Not a serious statement here.

TK3600 said:

I am going to guess it has a very long operation range. Z-10 already have more than both of those at 800km. Considering this thing weight more than Z-10 without more weapon payload, I am guessing very very long operational range.

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This number has no relationship with reality(like this is range at cruise altitude). Actual attack helicopter combat op radius within combat zone can be 10 or more times lower. Helicopter, especially in combat, doesn't fly - it is a sort of thirsty super amphibious vehicle that beats air into submission.
This is why for helicopters armed with actual weapon loads being heavier is of such paramount importance - even if it comes at the expense of size and agility.
For many years, it became basically sort of theory v practice check - theory advices building smallest(and, importantly, narrowest) airframes possible. After going through any serious contested fighting - they start gaining weight.
Unlike many, China actually did some research before learning the hard way.