Why the PLA’s Z-10 attack helicopter is taking a bigger role at sea
Por Gabriel Dominguez — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement China's military weapons China Military Why the PLA’s Z-10 attack helicopter is taking a bigger role at sea
Aircraft was built to hunt tanks and support ground troops, but a broader maritime role means it can operate closer to Taiwan
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Gabriel Dominguez Published: 6:00pm, 5 Oct 2026 Built to hunt tanks and support ground troops, the People’s Liberation Army ’s main attack helicopter is increasingly being prepared for operations at sea. Crews of the Z-10 are training to fly from ships – a shift that could give Beijing extra firepower in an amphibious assault on Taiwan .
Manufactured by AVIC subsidiary the Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation, the Z-10 entered service with the PLA Army in late 2010. It began documented shipboard trials in 2014, when Chinese navy imagery showed a Z-10 landing on the Baxianshan Type 072A tank landing ship.
The attack helicopter’s maritime role has gradually expanded since then. In 2020, army helicopters practised landing, refuelling and rearming on a civilian semi-submersible.
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