Z-9C (AS 565 Panther) Naval Helicopter

	Z-9 Z-9 'Attack' Z-9C (AS 565) Information Z-9 Specifications

Last updated: 28 July 2007

The PLA Naval Aviation operates a mixed fleet of the French-made AS 565 Panther and the indigenous Z-9C naval helicopters. The AS 565 Panther is the naval variant of the AS 365N Dauphin II developed by Eurocopter in France for shipborne anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and search and rescue (SAR) missions. The Z-9C was developed from the Z-9, a Chinese copy of the AS 365N Dauphin II built by Harbin Aircraft Manufacture Corporation (HAMC) for search & rescue (SAR), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), and anti-ship missile guidance roles. The Z-9C and the AS 565 are not directly associated, though they share the same design based on the AS 365N Dauphin II.

The PLA Navy acquired eight AS 565SB Panther naval helicopters in the late 1980s for its new generation surface combatants. Designed for the ASW role, these helicopters are fitted with a French ORB-32 search radar (range 200km) in their enlarged nose radome, a Thomson Sintra HS-12 dipping sonar, and can carry a Yu-7 (Chinese copy of the Mk46 Mod 1) anti-submarine torpedo on the external pylon on one side of the fuselage. The AS 565SB Panther was seen widely in operation with the PLA Navy’s Type 052 (Luhu class), Type 051B (Luhai class), and Type 053H2G/H3 (Jiangwei class) frigates.

In the late 1990s HAMC introduced a naval variant of its Z-9 helicopter, known as Z-9C in the PLA designation. Unlike the AS 565 Panther, the basic variant Z-9C was unarmed and only capable of SAR and utility roles. Later a more sophisticated version was introduced, equipped with an indigenous KLC-1 surface search and reconnaissance radar (X-band), a Sintra HS-12 dipping sonar, and a Yu-7 torpedo. Additionally, this variant also features a roof-mounted data link antenna to provide mid-course guidance command for the YJ-83 anti-ship missile during the 'over-the-horizon' attack.

Both the AS 565 and Z-9C are fitted with landing assistance system to help the helicopter land on the ship in harsh weather conditions. The powerplant of the helicopter is similar to that of the AS 265N/Z-9.

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