Country of origin |
China |
Entered service |
2012 |
Crew |
2 men |
Dimensions and weight |
Length |
12 m |
Main rotor diameter |
11.9
m |
Height |
~ 4 m |
Weight (empty) |
2.35 t |
Weight (maximum take off) |
4.5 t |
Engines and performance |
Engines |
2 x WZ-8A turboshafts |
Engine power |
2 x 848 shp |
Maximum speed |
~ 280 km/h |
Cruising speed |
245 km/h |
Service ceiling |
~ 4 500 m |
Range |
700 km |
Armament |
Cannon |
podded 23 mm cannon |
Missiles |
TY-90 air-to-air missiles, HJ-8 anti-tank
missiles |
Other |
pods with unguided rockets |
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The Z-19 is
a Chinese light scout and observation helicopter. It was locally developed by Harbin.
It was a China's attempt to develop a modern and capable helicopter. The whole development programme was kept in high secrecy.
The Z-19 is esentially a tandem-seat version of
the Z-9W, which in turn is a license-built version of the Eurocopter
AS365 Dauphin. However this helicopter also shares some resemblance
with the
Japanese OH-1.
The Z-19 made its first flight in 2011 and was publicly revealed in
2012. This helicopter is in service with Chinese army
aviation regiment. It operates alongside the dedicated
Z-10 attack helicopter.
The Z-19 is
lightly armored. Both pilots are seated on crash-resistant seats.
This scout and observation helicopter is equipped with a
nose-mounted FLIR, TV and laser rangefinder.
Secondary
task for the Z-19 is to provide fire support. It has four underwing hardpoints and can carry unoperated rocket pods and other
weapons, such as TY-90 air-to-air and
HJ-8 anti-tank missiles.
The helicopter has no nose cannon mount. However it can carry a podded 23 mm cannon.
The Z-19 can
operate under various weather conditions and at night.
This
helicopter uses the
same engines as the Z-9WA. It is a WZ-8A, a license-built version of
the Turbomeca Arriel.
The Z-19 has
a fenestron tail. It reduces the sound and allows to achieve some
level of acoustic stealthiness. It also has an IR-suppressing
exhaust system. This feature also gives a level of protection
against missiles with infra-red guidance.
In 2014 a
version of the Z-19 with a mast mounted radar was observed. It
resembles a Longbow radar of a US
AH-64D Apache attack helicopter. It is
most likely that this version can fire anti-tank missiles in
fire-and-forget mode. This helicopter was first publicly revealed in
2017.
Z-19E is an
export version. This helicopter is also referred as the Black
Whirlwind. It made its first flight in 2017.
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