Empire Conquest-Chapter 782 - 63: Joint Operations

Engaging in aerial combat at ground-hugging altitudes, commonly referred to as treetop height, has always been a global challenge.

Although helicopter aerial combat became commonplace during the Iran-Iraq War, neither side had concluded viable tactics by the war’s end.

Throughout the eight years of conflict, most engagements between the two sides were chaotic skirmishes.

As for the much-watched helicopter battles, they were basically spur-of-the-moment encounters.

Of course, this is not the fault of the Boi Country and Iraq.

The biggest issue with helicopter aerial combat is the exceedingly low flight altitude, which strictly limits maneuvering range, rendering many tactics infeasible.

It is evident that tactics for helicopter aerial combat are still under exploration.

It is precisely for this reason that the Empire Army Air Force formed the world’s first land air force mock enemy unit six years ago, modeled after the Air Force’s mock enemy divisions.

To better simulate enemy aircraft, the mock enemy unit not only managed to acquire several AH-1 and MI-24 helicopters but also modified their own "Z-7" helicopters and recruited dozens of experienced pilots to form an instructor team focused on adversarial training.

Henceforth, all pilots from the land air force air assault brigade, especially combat helicopter pilots, are required to undergo real combat adversarial training at the mock enemy unit every year.

It was precisely during this adversarial training that the performance deficiencies of the "Z-10A" were exposed.

As it used the "WZ-6F" engine from the "Z-7W", and the associated "WZ-9" was not mass-produced as planned, the power output of the propulsion system fell far short of the design specifications, with excessive thermal loads, leading to significant mobility issues with the "Z-10A".

Of course, basically speaking, the problem lay in the design itself.

During the design phase, there was no consideration for using this heavily armored helicopter, primarily intended for striking ground targets, in aerial combat missions.

Actually, during the design of "Z-10A", the Empire Army had yet to have a clear understanding of helicopter aerial combat.

Due to various constraints, the aerial combat performance of the "Z-10A" is indeed quite average.

However, solutions for improvement were found through training.

The simplest and most direct method is actually to install a more powerful engine to increase the power-to-weight ratio, thereby enhancing the helicopter’s agility.

It is precisely for this reason that the Empire Army continued to invest in the "WZ-9" engine, demanding a 25% increase in output power over the baseline model.

If this is achieved, the agility of the "Z-10" will reach an entirely new level. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Nonetheless, the adversarial training has given the Empire Army a deeper understanding that the "Z-10" is not a perfect combat helicopter.

This issue also traces back to the design stage, or more accurately, the performance specifications proposed by the Army before the design began.

The concept of developing a combat helicopter actually predates the official launch of the "Z-10" project by over a decade.

During the Boi War, the Empire Army proposed developing a combat helicopter that could operate alongside and protect transport helicopters, primarily responsible for suppressing enemy ground fire and eliminating threats to transport helicopters.

This was a necessity forged in battle by the enemy.

At the time, the Empire Army had already lost over a thousand helicopters on the Boi battlefield, most of which were shot down by ground air defenses.

Crucially, the majority were destroyed by light anti-aircraft weapons like heavy machine guns!

Out of emergency needs, the Empire Army had repurposed some transport helicopters into "gunship helicopters", equipped with machine guns or machine cannons, and fitted with rocket pods to provide cover for other transport helicopters. Additionally, nearly all transport helicopters were armed with door guns, used during takeoff and landing to suppress nearby enemies and enhance safety during these phases.

However, the effectiveness of these measures was not very pronounced.

It was for this reason that the Empire Army decided to develop a dedicated "combat helicopter".

However, the performance specifications proposed at that time were extraordinarily high, far exceeding the limits of current technology, thus hindering the progress significantly.

In contrast, the operational needs were extremely urgent.

It was against this backdrop that the "Z-7A", which adopted a large number of mature technologies and equipment, had average performance indicators but could complete test flights and enter production within months, emerged and gained the favor of the Army, eventually securing an order of 300 units.

Initially, the Empire Army used the "Z-7A" only for emergencies.

No one expected that this "rudimentary" combat helicopter would eventually lead to the production of over 3,000 units!

In fact, it was only after the "Z-7" was deployed extensively and demonstrated formidable combat effectiveness on the battlefield that the Empire Army had ample time to develop the more advanced "Z-10", or rather, was no longer in such a rush, allowing the design team to complete the technical accumulation at ease.

Moreover, the end of the Boi War had a significant negative impact on the development of the "Z-10".

In summary, only after the Boi War ended, about five years later, did the Empire Army feel the need for a more advanced combat helicopter.

It was only at this point that the development of the "Z-10" entered the fast track.

Hence, the tactical performance indicators of the "Z-10" were, in fact, acquired by the Empire Army through painful losses during the Boi War.

This also shaped the "Z-10".

Simply put, the "Z-10" is a flying tank that operates at treetop height, with its fierce firepower primarily targeting ground objectives.