The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has revealed the deployment of the tank killing WZ-10 attack helicopter, the rough equivalent of the U.S. Bell AH-1 SuperCobra, to its Western Theater Command that includes China's border with India.
India last June said it had reinforced Indian Army units defending its border with China in the tense Ladakh region with more tanks, troops and armored fighting vehicles amid an ongoing Chinese military build-up.
The Indian Army deployed some 100 specially modified Russian-made T-72 main battle tanks along its mountainous frontline border in Ladakh, a key geostrategic region located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. LAC is a demarcation line separating Indian-held territory from Chinese-controlled territory.
This is only the second time in half a century India has deployed tanks to this region, a signal of the unease China's unceasing military build-up over the past few years is causing in Delhi.
The armored regiment to which the newly deployed troops and tanks belong will raise to a full brigade the Indian Army units in the region. Two infantry regiments are already in place.
PLA said an undetermined number of WZ-10s (also called the CAIC Z-10) were delivered to the Air Defense Brigade of the PLA 13th Group Army under the Western Theater Command. This command is part of the Chengdu Military Region that encompasses the Xizang/Tibet Autonomous Region, Chongqing, Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou.
These areas, especially the Xizang/Tibet Autonomous Region that borders India, are probable flashpoints for conflicts with China's neighbors, namely India.
Beijing's announcement of the WZ-10 deployment also comes amid its efforts to dissuade India from emplacing its BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to both countries' shared border in the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. India has refused and has reinforced Indian Army units defending this state against China.
The PLA also said it's finished equipping ground force aviation units of the PLA Ground Force (PLAGF) with the WZ-10. PLAGF apparently has some 100 operational WZ-10s and has ordered over 20 more.
An anti-tank helicopter with a secondary air-to-air capability, the WZ-10 was designed by Russia's Kamov design bureau under a contract with the Chinese government.
The PLA claims the WZ-10 has superior maneuverability and combat compatibility compared to the WZ-9 (Harbin Z-9), which is distinctive because of its fenestron tail that makes it more quiet.
Wu Ximing, chief designer of the helicopter at Changhe Aircraft Industries, admitted the WZ-10 is somewhat inferior to the WZ-9 in firepower, ammunition load and engine power.
The PLAGF still needs more medium-lift, multipurpose helicopters such as the U.S. Army's Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk to perform both combat operations and transport tasks.
The WZ-10 can be armed with a wide variety of weapons. This includes three types of autocannon up to 30 mm; the HJ-8, HJ-9 and HJ-10 anti-tank missiles; the TY-90 air-to-air missile and unguided air-to-ground rockets. The HJ-10 is the Chinese equivalent of the American AGM-114 Hellfire anti-tank missile.