Z-11WA
Contents
Description
The Z-11WA is a rank V Chinese attack helicopter with a battle rating of 8.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".
The first Chinese helicopter in the main tech tree which has some resemblance from France's AS350 Écureuil (Squirrel), while the prototypes were back in 1990s, Z-11WA offered the only TVD camera among any 8.7 helicopters while only equipped with relatively short-range domestic ATGMs ,a pair of rocket pods or 12.7mm gun pod.
General info
Flight performance
As its unofficial (French) nickname Écureuil suggests, the Z-11WA performs like a flying squirrel. Thanks to its small yet agile airframe, it is among the fastest helicopters at its tier when unarmed (at 274 km/h spaded); while its designation of being an armed scout helicopter also ensures its limited but sufficient payload in case of harassing enemies with pairs of HJ-8A ATGMs, 12.7 mm gun pods, and rockets of different calibres. This will of course hinder its top speed - but there are helicopters at higher tiers which have even slower top speeds, so making good use of the top speed to sneak into the battlefield and leave as soon as your munitions are depleted is the key to utilising the Z-11WA.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 1,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | ||
| Stock | 252 | 238 | 4200 |
| Upgraded | 294 | 274 | |
Survivability and armour
A very common feature of a scout helicopter like the Z-11WA is the lack of any form of armour - even rifle-calibre bullets are lethal to it. The only good news is that the fuel tank is a self-sealing tank; although it is very unlikely that it can survive sustained burning, it still gives Z-11WA the bare minimal chance to leave the battlefield.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Suspended armament
The Z-11WA can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
- 36 x Type 57-1 rockets
- 14 x FS70 rockets
- 2 x 12.7 mm QJK99-12.7-1 machine guns (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)
- 2 x HJ-8A missiles
- 4 x HJ-8A missiles
Custom loadout options
| 1 | 2 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12.7 mm QJK99-12.7-1 machine guns (1,000 rpg) | 1 | 1 | |
| FS70 rockets | 7 | 7 | |
| Type 57-1 rockets | 18 | 18 | |
| HJ-8A missiles | 2 | 2 |
Usage in battles
As the very first helicopter of the Chinese helicopter tech tree, it already has an ace up its sleeve: since the Z-11WA was a variant from 2004, it is the only helicopter with a TVD camera at its tier (installed with the on the left side above the co-pilot). Players will also be happy to utilize the relatively high speed and agility of the Z-11WA for any assaults on enemies with its sufficient payload for a scout helicopter: ATGMs, rocket pods, and gun pods. However, it does not provide much flexibility against enemies in case of helicopter EC due to its lack of fixed machine guns onboard; while the lack of ballistic computer also means players must practice for the new FS70 rockets or its stock Type 57-1 rockets. Another flaw of is the relatively short range and slow speed of the HJ-8A ATGM, although it is sufficient to take down armoured targets at its tier, this also means that players have to risk themselves to be closer to the heat of the battlefield as it doesn't have any protection against projectiles.
With these in mind, players of the Z-11WA can utilize it as an "aerial guerrilla" and hide behind terrain or barely above the treeline, make sure to make good use of its TVD camera with good magnification to scout for enemy targets; while the 2 pairs of ATGMs onboard can take down enemies from safer distances. As soon as enemy aircraft or SPAAGs are in business, leave the battlefield and stay alive as long as possible with its agility and small size.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Small and agile
- Relatively fast at its tier
- Fitted with a TVD camera
Cons:
- Unprotected airframe
- Lacks of any fixed machine gun
- Relatively lacklustre payload options
History
After the introduction of some French helicopters from Aérospatiale, including the SA.342L Gazelle and AS365 (later Z-9 after domestic production) since the 1980s, the PLAGF was in need for completely domestic helicopters. While claimed to be a domestic design, the Z-11 has a close resemblance to the AS350 Écureuil in terms of its aerodynamic design. The first prototype was flown on December 1992 and was later introduced into service in 1994 as the first domestic scout helicopter of the PLAGF. The armed version, Z-11WA, was introduced in 2004 with limited air-to-ground weapons, while the later Z-11WB in the mid-2010s were armed with more advanced missile options. Aside from its military variants, Z-11 also has civilian versions including its later variant AC311 from early 2010s.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the helicopter;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (昌河飞机工业集团) | |
|---|---|
| Helicopters | Z-10 · Z-11WA |
| China helicopters | |
|---|---|
| Attack/Utility | Z-9W · Z-9WA · Z-10 · Z-11WA · Z-19 · Z-19E |
| ␗OH-58D (USA) | |
| Attack | ␗AH-1W (USA) |
| Utility | SA.342L Gazelle (France) |
| Pakistan | ▄Mi-35M |
