Empire Conquest-Chapter 781 - 62: Tiger at Low Altitude (Part 2)
Key point is, both MI-28 and KA-50 are genuine "Heavy Armored Helicopters".
Strictly speaking, the MI-28, with a design takeoff weight of 12 tons, is already an "overweight" armed helicopter. Even the slightly lighter KA-50 has a design takeoff weight of over 10 tons and is likely to reach 11 tons, not much lighter than the MI-28.
Clearly, this is the crux of the matter.
Heavy Armored Helicopters are definitely more powerful in combat, yet similarly, they are bound to be more expensive.
But the problem is, compared to the slightly lighter Medium Armored Helicopters, Heavy Armored Helicopters are definitely not cost-effective, even arguably quite poor in that regard.
Speaking frankly, the longer range, stronger survivability, and greater load capacity of Heavy Armored Helicopters are more valuable in offensive operations.
This is also why the West Luosha insists on using Heavy Armored Helicopters.
For the Tiaoman Empire and other Western Group member countries, offense is actually a secondary need!
Do not forget, it is precisely due to a shift to strategic defense that the Tiaoman Empire and other Western Group member countries developed a desire to research and equip armed helicopters.
To put it directly, what the Tiaoman Empire and other Western Group member countries need is actually a moderately weighted, cost-effective Medium Armored Helicopter.
As for combat capabilities, it’s okay if they are a bit weaker.
From a tactical level, in defensive operations, an armed helicopter with slightly weaker performance might still be able to counter stronger-performing Heavy Armored Helicopters.
Take combat radius for instance, during defense, it’s usually aligned with one’s own defense line, starting from advancing bases, thereby significantly shortening the combat radius. If the ammunition load is insufficient, supply can be acquired at front-line posts, with multiple return flights solving the issue.
Additionally, the performance requirements of armed helicopters differ distinctly between defense and offense.
The "Tiger" is the first in the world to explicitly require in its design to engage in air combat with helicopters and seize air superiority at treetop height with an armed helicopter.
Before this, no armed helicopter emphasized air combat capabilities.
When the Empire Army initiated the "Z-10A" design project, to be precise, in the bid document released, helicopter air combat was not mentioned at all.
Strictly speaking, they didn’t see the necessity at that time.
Moreover, in defensive battles, armed helicopters not only face enemy tanks and armored vehicles, but must also provide fire support to frontline forces. Simply put, it involves undertaking some of the attack aircraft’s tasks to enhance battlefield adaptability.
The result is that the "Tiger" was designed with three models: anti-armor, fire support, and air combat.
Though these three models use the same airframe and the power systems are identical, the main differences lie in electronic equipment and onboard weapons. Conducting several models simultaneously instead of consolidating these performance demands into one model is unprecedented.
This can also be seen as a sign of the Western Group’s financial struggles.
To speak plainly, due to the constraint to medium size, they had no choice but to split it into three submodels, simplifying the design difficulty and ensuring prompt production.
Key point is, the "Tiger" design takeoff weight is only 6 tons!
What concept is this?
With two engines equipped, the "Z-7W"’s maximum takeoff weight exceeds 10 tons, becoming a genuine Heavy Armored Helicopter.
Achieving all performance and tactical indicators within a 6-ton airframe is fundamentally impossible.
Not even the Western Group, let alone the Liangxia Empire, can achieve this.
Otherwise, the "Z-10A" wouldn’t have been classified as a Heavy Armored Helicopter from the start, with the maximum takeoff weight expanded to over 11 tons.
Of course, this isn’t to say the "Tiger" isn’t formidable.
Relatively, the "Tiger"’s air combat performance isn’t bad, even arguably surpassing all current Five Heroes upgrades, and being the benchmark for other armed helicopters.
To state a point, it is the "Tiger" that compelled the Empire Army to invest in developing the "TY-1" light air-to-air missile.
Even 20-plus years ago, shortly after the "Z-7" entered service, the Empire Army conducted tests with armed helicopters using Combat Missiles deployed from fighters, attacking ultra-low altitude aircraft, essentially simulating helicopter targets, exploring and probing helicopter air combat tactics.
The test results weren’t bad and yet highlighted numerous issues.
For example, the 100-kilogram-range Combat Missile was indeed too bulky for a several-ton armed helicopter.
The most pronounced issue was actually the infrared seeker of the Combat Missile’s difficulty in locking onto ultra-low altitude helicopters, and its propensity to miss targets. Often when the missile can be fired, the target already enters machine gun range, where machine gun combat efficiency isn’t poor.
This led to the Empire Army temporarily halting related exploration.
Until a few years ago, upon acquiring intelligence regarding the "Tiger", the Empire Army realized they should indeed seriously address helicopter air combat.
The key point is still technological progress.
Among these, infrared imaging technology is most crucial.
According to information provided by the Military Intelligence Bureau, the Western Group first mass-produced the air combat model.
The reason is evident; the Western Group needs a dedicated air combat helicopter to counter Eastern Group’s low-altitude assault forces.
Don’t forget, the Eastern Group’s armed helicopters surpass the Western Group both quantitatively and qualitatively, posing the foremost threat to the Western Group.
Exactly for this reason, the Empire Army invested in developing specialized light air-to-air missiles for armed helicopters.
The "TY-1", essentially, is an improved version of the "HY-3D" man-portable air defense missile, more accurately using the man-portable air defense missile’s missile body.
To extend range, the "TY-1" adopts a rocket booster with greater thrust.
As a result, the launch weight increased to 36 kilograms.
This weight far exceeds the carrying capacity of a soldier, yet for an armed helicopter, it is obviously much lighter compared to the near 100-kilogram Combat Missile.
Normally, the "Z-10A" can use a parallel mount, carrying two missiles on the outer wing pylons.
If necessary, a quadruple launch rack can be chosen.
However, the increased payload leads to reduced helicopter flight performance, and often, so many missiles aren’t needed.
Don’t forget, the "Z-10A" has a machine gun with over a thousand rounds.
Although the "TY-1" has pretty good performance, most of the time pilots still prefer using the powerful machine gun. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖
Ultimately, the reliability of missiles is insufficient.
Based on tests, the single-shot hit rate of the "TY-1" against treetop height targets is at most 60%, failing to achieve the claimed 80%.
When attacked, simply releasing an interference bomb and performing emergency maneuvers significantly improves a helicopter’s chances of shaking off missiles.
Key point is, the heat radiation of armed helicopters isn’t prominent.
Through confrontation training, Empire Land Air Force has summarized a set of maneuver tactics to defeat missiles, incorporated into helicopter pilots’ textbooks.
Furthermore, all Empire helicopters are equipped with jamming systems.
On the "Z-10A"’s tail boom, there are four infrared interference bomb launch devices, capable of usage in four iterations or dispersing all at once.
In summary, in ultra-low altitude aerial combat, as of now, no missile can replace machine guns.
This situation mirrors that during the Boi War, the insufficient capability of air-to-air missiles couldn’t replace aviation cannons, i.e., pilots had more faith in unguided ballistic weapons.
Of course, Lian Mingyang doesn’t think the "TY-1" isn’t good enough.
In planning, he particularly emphasizes that each helicopter should at least carry four "TY-1", and squadron leaders and group captains’ aircraft should carry at least eight.
Even though the "TY-1" performance isn’t stellar, its range of up to 10 kilometers can still provide the "Z-10A" with more opportunities to fire.
Key point is, Lian Mingyang doesn’t want to engage in dogfight air combat with "Tiger".
Though they’ve never encountered the "Tiger" on the battlefield, before hearing from Zheng Zhishuang, Lian Mingyang didn’t even know this helicopter was officially in service. Yet in the Empire Army’s simulated enemy forces, several "Z-7" have been specially modified to mimic the "Tiger".
During confrontation training with simulated enemy forces, Lian Mingyang and the others have indeed suffered losses!
In fact, nearly all helicopter air combat tactics were derived from confrontation training with simulated enemy forces, summarizing the lessons learned to obtain results.
In Lian Mingyang’s own words, faced with the more agile "Tiger", because of insufficient engine power, the comparatively cumbersome "Z-10A" basically stands little chance.
Whenever possible, Lian Mingyang hopes to end the battle with missiles from a sufficiently distant range.
