During the Singapore Airshow 2024, scheduled for February 20-25, the Chinese state-owned company Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC), part of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) conglomerate, presented a new version of the export attack helicopter Z-10ME, designated as Z-10ME-02. The rotorcraft was displayed at the joint exhibition of China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp.
Photo: Jakub Link-Lenczowski, MILMAG
The Z-10ME is a modernized export variant of the Z-10 helicopter developed for the Chinese land forces with 208 units introduced into service. The helicopter, revealed in 2018, received more powerful engines (1630 HP compared to 1270 HP in the Z-10), as well as active and passive self-defense systems, and laser and radar warning sensors.
The most noticeable modification: the Yu Huo fire control radar.
The distinctive features include new upward-facing engine exhaust nozzles designed to disperse exhaust gases and reduce infrared signature, new air intake filtration systems, and graphene-based armor panels (protecting sensitive components), an expanded ammunition storage, an infrared beam jamming system, and a new friend-or-foe identification system. Some of the changes in the propulsion system result from adapting the helicopter to hot, tropical, and desert climates, suggesting that it is primarily offered to countries in South Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa.
On January 5, 2022, official confirmation emerged that Pakistan had decided to purchase the Z-10ME instead of the Turkish TUSAŞ/TAI T129 ATAK. Deliveries were set to begin in August of the same year – at least three units are known to have been delivered. Interestingly, there are indications that these are indeed the Z-10ME-02 models:
https://twitter.com/RupprechtDeino/status/1553997513488826368
According to available information, the helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 7.2 tons, of which 1.5 tons is the payload. The five-blade main rotor has a diameter of 13 meters, while the length of the fuselage is 14.2 meters. The helicopter reaches a maximum speed of 274 km/h (148 knots), and its endurance is approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes.
The most visually apparent change in the Z-10ME-02 compared to the Z-10ME is the implementation of the Yu Huo millimeter-wave fire control radar, which operates in all weather conditions and is mounted above the main rotor, similar to the AN/APG-78 Longbow radar on AH-64 Apache helicopters. It also carries an electro-optical head, mounted on the nose, and is complemented by the Chinese Beidou satellite navigation system.
In Singapore, along with the rotorcraft, the armament and suspended equipment it can carry were presented: a 23 mm automatic cannon mounted under the nose fed with High Explosive Incendiary (HEI) ammunition, air-to-ground missiles with a air burst fragmentation warhead FS70B, guided missiles GR5, air-to-air missiles TY-90 and CM-502KG, and 280-kilogram fuel tanks. Under one of the wings, a 7-cell missile launcher was displayed, but it is not clear specifically which armament it is for.
