China 'successfully' test fires new air-to-ground missile

BEIJING: China has recently test-launched a new type of air-to-ground missile, which can be fired from a helicopter, according to the team that developed the projectile.

The aviation experts said that the air-to-ground missile is likely to excel in terms of range, power and accuracy against hostile tanks.

Quoting China Aviation News, the influential daily Global Times reported that an undisclosed type of helicopter conducted the test firing of the missile at a site in Alxa, North China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, on June 22.

The missile accurately hit its target, marking the successful, first test launch of the projectile, the report said.

“In the whole world, [the missile] is in a leading position,” the report quoted an anonymous missile team member as saying, however, the publication did not reveal the new missile’s designation or its capabilities.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military aviation expert said that in order to be called “world-leading,” the air-to-ground missile must have a very long effective range, an advanced guidance system that enables very high accuracy, and a very powerful warhead that can penetrate a tank’s thick armour.

It is not surprising that China’s new missiles have become world leaders after seeing the performances of previous missiles like the HJ series, Fu said.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operates multiple types of attack helicopters, including the Z-10 and Z-19, both of which were recently upgraded.

According to a photo released by PLA’s 80th Group Army in February, an upgraded Z-10 featured exhaust openings that face upward instead of outward, which experts said will make it harder to be targeted by infrared sensors.

The Z-19, lighter than the Z-10, saw an extra millimetre-wave fire control radar installed on the top of its rotor at the Fifth China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin in October 2019.

The new radar can give the chopper the capability to search and track targets over long distances in complex weather conditions day and night, and provide accurate targeting data for guided weapon systems.

Among other weapons and equipment, many Z-10 attack helicopters were reportedly mobilised to western China’s plateau regions for drills, amid border tensions with India.

When equipped with the new missile, the PLA’s helicopters will become even deadlier, particularly to enemy tanks, armoured vehicles.and fortifications, experts said.

China is also building amphibious assault ships that can carry helicopters and extend their capabilities across seas, analysts noted.