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Z-11WB light attack helicopter

The Chinese-designed CAIC Z-11WB is an MH-6 "Little Bird" with Chinese chcaracteristics. The reconnaissance and light-attack derivative of the Z-11light utility helicopter, the Z-11WB can perform ground attack, battlefield surveillance,counterterrorism, and network-centric and aerial warfare missions. It accommodates a singlepilot and three passengers. The Z-11WB includes an integrated, nose-mounted EO pod and cancarry a variety of weapons/pods. It can mount an automatic grenade launcher or 7.62mmCS/LM12, six-barreled mini-gun and includes two pylons to carry missiles and bombs.

The Z-11WB, developed and made by AVIC Changhe Aircraft Industry in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, is a militarized version of the AC311A multirole civil helicopter and can conduct reconnaissance and ground assault operations. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 2,250 kilograms, maximum cruising speed of 240 km/h, flight ceiling of 6,000 meters and operational range of 680 km, according to AVIC Changhe.

The aircraft can be armed with 21 types of weapons, including machine guns, rockets, precision-guided bombs, anti-tank missiles, air-to-air missiles. It can carry and launch four small, electrically powered SW-6 drones that can perform reconnaissance, signal relay and missile guidance tasks, according to AVIC publicity material.

Designed as a military improvement over the AC-311, China’s Avicopter Z-11B made its first successful flight in September 2015. In November of 2010, Chinese state-owned manufacturer Avicopter unveiled the AC-311, a single-engine helicopter capable of carrying up to six people.

On 28 September 2015, the company conducted the first test-flight of its military version, the Z-11WB. Maintaining the high visibility of the AC-311, the new helicopter has modifications which allow it to "carry out ground support, attack, battlefield reconnaissance, command, counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, counter-smuggling, and other tasks," according to Chinese reports. The Z-11WB was tested in Jingdezhen, in northeastern Jiangxi province.

Early images of the aircraft also suggested that the Z-11B will feature an electro-optical pod. If the new chopper is anything like the Z-11, a predecessor of the AC-311, then it will be powered by the WZ8D turboshaft engine. Chinese reports indicate that the helicopter will be ready for operations sometime in 2016. While the Army Aviation Corps of the People’s Liberation Army could be one major customer, it’s unclear whether other parties have expressed interest. In 2011, Argentina signed a deal with Avicopter to construct the Z-11, and there is no word on whether Buenos Aires will purchase the new aircraft.

China's domestically developed 2 ton-class Z-11WB armed helicopter was expected in early 2021 to enter service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and play a key role in ground attack, reconnaissance and antiterrorism. A Z-11WB armed helicopter was seen painted with the insignia of the PLA on a production line in video footage released by Weihutang, a China Central Television program on military affairs in January 2021. This means this type of helicopter will likely enter PLA service soon, Weihutang said.

Having made its maiden flight in September 2015, the Z-11WB is a light helicopter capable of carrying armaments including anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers, machine guns and drones on pylons on each side of the fuselage, the report said, noting that compared with the Z-10 attack helicopter, the biggest characteristic of the Z-11WB is that the light chopper can carry multiple fully-armed commandos and send them into special operations. This makes the Z-11WB suitable for missions like ground attack, reconnaissance and antiterrorism, the report said.

The Z-11WB's small size, high mobility and varied applications means it can become an effective supplement to the PLA's current helicopters, and together they can form a complete armed helicopter system from 2 ton-class to 10 ton-class, Weihutang said.

Being another modification of the existing helicopter, the new Z-11WB retains certain of its features. So, the scheme of the machine, its general architecture and the contours of the main units remained without significant changes. The installation of new equipment was carried out without significant alterations to the existing structure. The helicopter retained the classic scheme with main and tail rotors, cockpit for pilots and gunners, ski landing gear, etc. At the same time, however, the Z-11WB has some noticeable external differences from the previous machines of its family, primarily related to the installation of new equipment.

The helicopter of the new model again received a fuselage of a complex shape, close to a drop-shaped one. Most of its volume is given under the cargo-passenger cabin. The front part of the cabin is allocated for the placement of pilots and the installation of controls, in the center there is a volume for passengers or payload, and the aft compartment accommodates part of the machine's units. There is a tapering tail boom that serves as the basis for the tail rotor and keel. On the roof of the main part of the fuselage there is a casing covering the units of the power plant and transmission. On the sides, behind the cabin, there are devices for external suspension of weapons or special equipment.

The nose of the car retained large glazing, providing the highest possible view. For landing in a helicopter, it is proposed to use two pairs of side doors with glazing. If necessary, the rear doors can be removed, which ensures convenient use of weapons.

Like its predecessor, the Z-11WB helicopter is equipped with one WZ-8D turboshaft engine with an HP 860 power. (632 kW). The engine is located in the rear fuselage, above the compartment for other equipment. Directly in front of it is the main gearbox associated with the main rotor and issuing torque to the steering. A three-bladed rotor with a diameter of about 11 m was again used.

One of the main tasks of a promising helicopter is to monitor the situation and detect various objects, both in order to obtain intelligence data and to carry out an attack. Most of the existing helicopters of the Z-11 family, when solving such problems, could only rely on the crew's vision. The new project proposes to use optical-electronic equipment capable of monitoring the area at any time of the day and in any weather conditions.

A block of optoelectronic equipment is placed under the Z-11WB fuselage nose fairing. A support device is attached directly to the power set of the machine, on which the U-shaped support of the main unit is located. All optical devices are placed inside a spherical fairing with several windows that provide observation. This design of optical-electronic systems has been repeatedly tested in practice and has proven itself well. Due to the ability to rotate the optics in two planes, the crew can monitor the entire lower hemisphere and some parts of the upper one.

It is reported that the new Chinese helicopter received a video camera, a thermal imager and a laser rangefinder. All this equipment can be used to search for targets and determine their location, including ranging. In addition, in the combat configuration of the helicopter, the optoelectronic equipment unit must also solve the tasks of aiming and target designation. In particular, a laser rangefinder can be used to illuminate targets when using appropriate types of guided weapons.

A notable difference between the current Z-11WB and previously seen prototypes is the new nose cone. As follows from the announced data, in the course of improvements, the reconnaissance helicopter received a small-sized radar station. The layout of this device is also demonstrated during the exhibition. The characteristics of the radar are not specified, but the very fact of its use can lead to a noticeable increase in the potential of the machine in terms of piloting and reconnaissance.

China's domestically developed 2 ton-class Z-11WB armed helicopter was expected to enter service with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and play a key role in ground attack, reconnaissance and antiterrorism, reports suggested in January 2021. A Z-11WB armed helicopter was seen painted with the insignia of the PLA on a production line in video footage released by Weihutang, a China Central Television program on military affairs. This means this type of helicopter will likely enter PLA service soon, Weihutang said.

Having made its maiden flight in September 2015, the Z-11WB is a light helicopter capable of carrying armaments including anti-tank missiles, rocket launchers, machine guns and drones on pylons on each side of the fuselage, the report said, noting that compared with the Z-10 attack helicopter, the biggest characteristic of the Z-11WB is that the light chopper can carry multiple fully-armed commandos and send them into special operations.

This makes the Z-11WB suitable for missions like ground attack, reconnaissance and antiterrorism, the report said. The Z-11WB's small size, high mobility and varied applications means it can become an effective supplement to the PLA's current helicopters, and together they can form a complete armed helicopter system from 2 ton-class to 10 ton-class, Weihutang said.

Z-11WB is positioned as a multi-purpose machine capable of solving a variety of tasks related to surveillance or attacking targets. A developed complex of surveillance systems allows direct reconnaissance of the battlefield or search for camouflaged enemy targets during covert operations, using both the helicopter’s own optoelectronic equipment and an unmanned aerial vehicle. A wide range of compatible weapons allows the operator to carry out strikes against found objects or provide direct support to troops on the battlefield. Thus, the appearance of the helicopter allows the customer to choose the most effective methods of its use, using the potential inherent in the project.

Chinese aircraft manufacturers claim that the original appearance of the new helicopter provides high efficiency in various missions and high survivability over the battlefield. With such capabilities, the Z-11WB helicopter may be of interest to the armed forces and law enforcement agencies of various states, including China. Nevertheless, as far as is known, there was no talk of mass orders for such equipment.

Soon after the first information about the new project appeared, there were suggestions about the possible order of a certain number of Z-11WB machines by the People's Liberation Army of China. Predictions were made about the possible addition of such equipment to the existing fleet of CAIC Z-10 attack helicopters, which are the newest representatives of their class in the Chinese armed forces. However, these assumptions have not received any confirmation or refutation over the past time. Moreover, there was no information that the Chinese army is generally interested in the promising Z-11WB helicopters as a means of updating the army aviation fleet.

At the same time, an order for the supply of equipment to another Chinese structure is possible. In October 2020, the first reports appeared in the foreign media about the possible construction of Z-11WB multi-purpose helicopters on the future order of the People's Armed Militia of China. Such news is still at the level of rumors, but it can still be taken into account when predicting the future of technology. Available rumors suggest that the new technology could not interest the army, but attracted the attention of internal troops. It should be noted that the appearance and capabilities of the helicopter are more consistent with the peculiarities of the work of the internal troops, but not the army.

In the new project of the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, several important ideas and solutions were implemented, some of which have already been worked out and tested in practice. In this regard, the Z-11WB helicopter, equipped with modern optoelectronic equipment and capable of carrying various weapons, may be of great interest to various foreign customers. Nevertheless, it is too early to talk about the real commercial potential of the Chinese car. There have been no reports of talks with potential buyers yet. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the official "premier" of the new reconnaissance-strike vehicle took place only now, which is why potential buyers have not yet had time to initiate negotiations on possible contracts.

As possible buyers of Changhe Z-11WB helicopters, one can consider various Asian and African countries that have large military budgets. Such states are the main buyers of Chinese weapons and military equipment, which, at an affordable price, have good characteristics. The declared capabilities of the new helicopter directly indicate its compliance with the existing Chinese approaches to creating models for export deliveries. Thus, in the near future, the Z-11WB may indeed become the subject of a contract with one or another foreign state.

Being a further development of rather old helicopters, the new Chinese machine Z-11WB looks quite interesting and promising. The installation of modern reconnaissance equipment, as well as an original idea regarding the use of a special folding drone, can attract the attention of specialists, the general public and potential customers. Whether the original project of a multi-purpose helicopter will be able to move beyond testing, go into series and find buyers, time will tell.