Syark Defence Force (SDF) - 1/48 China People Liberation Army PLA Z-9W

1/48 China People Liberation Army PLA Z-9W

Good days everybody, Today my entry post to share my new Helicopter scaled model from China. I don't know what brand of my new helicopter hehehe. At last, I got new helicopter from various country and mostly it come from China PLA assets. Western Country called this helicopter is Dauphin Copycat but the Chinese stated it Z9W from Army Branch.

The Z-9W is an indigenous attack variant of the Z-9 utility helicopter, which itself is a license-built version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin.The Z-9W can perform in a wide range of missions, including anti-tank, close air support, armed patrol, anti-terrorism and law enforcement.

The Z-9W performed its first flight in 1987. The first missile was test fired from the helicopter in 1989. The production variant was inducted into service by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in the early 1990s. The PLA is believed to have fielded 30 to 40 helicopters since. China delivered a number of Z-9W helicopters to undisclosed customers in 2010.

The Z-9W helicopter is of light aluminium alloy construction using glass-fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) and Nomex flame resistant fibre materials. The tear-drop shaped design incorporates a pointed boom to the tail and stepped-up cockpit. Two weapon pylons are externally attached to the fuselage aft the cockpit.

The under-nose day / night targeting turret of Z-9WA was developed by Luoyang Electro-Optics Technology Development Centre (EOTDC). The unit integrates FLIR and a low-light TV system, allowing operations during day / night in all-weather conditions.

The weapon pylons on either side of the fuselage can carry up to eight HJ-8 wire-guided anti-tank missiles. The Z-9W can also be armed with two 23mm cannons/12.7mm machine guns/57mm rocket launchers, or four TY-90 air-to-air missiles.

The electronic countermeasures suite of Z-9WA integrates a missile approach warning system and chaff/flare decoy dispensers. The system is capable of detecting infrared signature of incoming missiles. It warns the pilot and automatically activates the chaff/flare dispensers to deceive the missile.