by78
General
How can you tell this is a different prototype airframe?
Z-21/Z-X heavy attack helicopter
- Thread starter siegecrossbow
- Start date
How can you tell this is a different prototype airframe?
Sorry for the unclear reply ... my point is, that I find it surprising to remove this instrumental boom so soon, if maiden flight was actually done only in December last year. Even more - and YES; I admit I'm a numbers nerd and these are too blurry - usually we would expect a number in the range of XX0001 or at least a "1" as the final digit. Here however it looks not like a "1" but more like at least a different number, so maybe this is not the first but already an additional prototype?!
Okay so I wasn't imagining! It DOES have a Z-10 like diamond cross section! Hope dabao and gaoshan update their models soon xD
This render doesn’t account for the diamond like cross section of the tail discussed above and is basically still an older preconception of what was believed the Z-21 should look like
Excuse my subjective opinion, but I just think that this helicopter just looks horrible and I don’t understand what’s it’s role and the dire need for the PLA to develop an ‘old’ heavy attack helicopter. Sometimes I curse at the PLA procurement process to being way to cautious in its approach.
They need attack helicopters for the Type 075 LHDs for example. Such a large helicopter will be able to carry anti-shipping missiles. It is also premature to consider attack helicopters obsolete. In environments with heavy EM interference you won't be able to operate piloted drones.