The Changhe Z-10 ( zh, s=直-10, p=Zhí-Shí, l=helicopter-10) is a Chinese medium-weight, twin-
turboshaft
A turboshaft engine is a form of gas turbine that is optimized to produce shaft horsepower rather than jet thrust. In concept, turboshaft engines are very similar to turbojets, with additional turbine expansion to extract heat energy from the ex ...
attack helicopter
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive (military), offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their ...
built by the
Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation
Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC) () is a Chinese helicopter manufacturer and supplier to the People's Liberation Army, Chinese military. It is a member of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). The company is based in ...
for the
People's Liberation Army Ground Force Aviation. Designed by
602nd Aircraft Design Institute of
Aviation Industry Corporation of China
The Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) is a Chinese state-owned publicly-traded aerospace and defense conglomerate headquartered in Beijing. AVIC is overseen by the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the ...
(AVIC) and
Kamov Design Bureau,
the aircraft is intended primarily for
anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare refers to the military strategies, tactics, and weapon systems designed to counter and destroy enemy armored vehicles, particularly tanks. It originated during World War I following the first deployment of tanks in 1916, and ...
missions with secondary
air-to-air combat
Air combat manoeuvring (ACM) is the Military tactics, tactic of moving, turning, and situating one's fighter aircraft in order to attain a position from which an attack can be made on another aircraft. Commonly associated with dogfighting, air c ...
capability.
The plan to develop a medium-weight helicopter program was initiated in 1994 with the attack helicopter program formally beginning in 1998. The preliminary design of the aircraft was provided by Kamov, while
prototyping
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...
was conducted by the 602nd Aircraft Design Institute of
Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC).
The Z-10 first flew on 29 April 2003
and entered Chinese Army Aviation service in 2009.
Nicknames of characters in the Chinese classic novel ''
Water Margin
''Water Margin'' (), also called ''Outlaws of the Marsh'' or ''All Men Are Brothers'', is a Chinese novel from the Ming dynasty that is one of the preeminent Classic Chinese Novels. Attributed to Shi Nai'an, ''Water Margin'' was one of the e ...
'' have been used to name Z-10 and its light-weight counterpart, the
Harbin Z-19
The Harbin Z-19 is a Chinese light reconnaissance/attack helicopter developed by Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation (HAMC) for the People's Liberation Army Air Force and the Ground Force Army Aviation. It is a specialized combat variant ...
by Chinese Army Aviation Corps; Z-10 is called Fierce Thunderbolt (Pi Li Huo, 霹雳火), the nickname of
Qin Ming
Qin Ming is a fictional character in ''Water Margin'', one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature. Nicknamed "Fiery Thunderbolt", he ranked seventh among the 36 Heavenly Spirits, the first third of the 108 Stars of Destiny.
B ...
, while Z-19 is called Black Whirlwind (Hei Xuan Feng, 黑旋风), the nickname of
Li Kui Li Kui may refer to:
*Li Kui (legalist), government minister in the Wei state
*Li Kui (chancellor), chancellor of the Tang Dynasty
*Li Kui (Water Margin), fictional character in the ''Water Margin''
{{hndis, Li, Kui