Video has emerged from China showing Z-10A attack helicopters from the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force launching what’s reportedly a KD-10 laser-guided air-to-surface anti-tank guided missile during a live-fire exercise. These video also showed crews loading the missiles onto four-round racks on the Z-10A’s outboard stub-wing hardpoints before they were launched at an undisclosed location. The missile appears in the same class of American AGM-114 Hellfire but without the forward control fins.
The anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) bears some resemblance to the China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO) Blue Arrow 21 (BA-21), a weapon that’s thought to have a range of around 11 miles and guidance based on a dual-mode millimeter-wave radar/semi-active laser seeker. It also features a semi-active laser seeker believed to have been derived from the one used by Russian Krasnopol 152mm laser-guided projectile (CEP≤3m). Therefore the missile is not fire-and-forget.
The KD-10 along a new multi-mission radar (MMR) will make the Z-10 as potent as an Apache Helicopter equipped with a Hellfire missile. It is designed strike anti-armor and other targets. KD-10 can also be fired from Z-9WZ attack helicopter, Mi-17V5 transport helicopter and Wing Loong I/Wing Loong II UCAV, suggesting it has replaced the old KD-8 ATGM.The export version of KD-10 is dubbed BA-7It has been speculated that an MMW seeker is being developed for KD-10, coupled with the new mast mounted MMW radar being tested on Z-19.
The CAIC Z-10, also called WZ-10 is a Chinese medium attack helicopter developed for the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force with close ties to United Technology corporation of Hartford Connecticut. It is designed primarily for anti-tank warfare missions but has secondary air-to-air combat capability as well. Before the emergence of this new missile, its main weapons were understood to be eight AKD-9 or AKD-10 ATGMs, plus a 23mm cannon and various rocket pods. It can also be armed with PL-90 air-to-air missiles.
