WZ-19 Z-19 Harbin

The Z-19 or WZ-19 is a Chinese-made attack helicopter based on the Z-9W light helicopter. The Z-19 is designed and manufactured by the Chinese Company Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The Z-19 attack helicopter is mainly used for anti-tank missions and against other ground targets. The Z-19 is comparable in capabilities to current generation of attack helicopter such as the American Hughes AH-64 "Apache" and the Russian Mil Mi-28 "Havoc". To compare with the Z-10 which is in the category of heavy attack helicopter, the Z-19 is lighter. The Z-19 made its first flight in May 2010. The Z-19 is also intended for export customers. The Z-10 was unveiled for the first time to the public during the AirShow China 2012 in Zhuhai. The Z-19 is now in service with the Chinese Army. Several China's independently-developed WZ-19 armed helicopters of an army aviation regiment under the Shenyang Military Area Command (MAC) of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) carried out air-to-ground missile firing tests in airspace of south Liaoning province on November 12, 2012. Despite the extreme climate conditions, the helicopters achieved a hundred percent hit rate. The Chinese Army Aviation Department of the GSH (General Staff Headquarters) has showed that those new-type helicopters that troop units had equipped with have already formed the capability to carry out operations under various weather conditions and in complex environments as well as to perform diversified tasks.