China has conducted a new test of its copy of the U.S.-made Hellfire air-to-surface missile on a Z-10 attack helicopter at an undisclosed location.
Chinese social media has released images showing the Z-10 attack helicopter equipped with new Blue Arrow 21 air-to-surface missiles. A new air-to-surface missile is similar to the Hellfire laser guided missile developed for anti-armor use and against other target types.
The new BA-21 missile, according to open sources, can be fitted with two seekers: millimeter-wave radar and semi-active laser seeker. It is a short-range tactical missile that has a range of 15-18 km while carrying a payload of 9 kg.
The new missile would provide fire-and-forget capability and the ability to operate in poor weather conditions for newest Chinese medium attack helicopters which designed primarily for anti-tank warfare missions.
