Z-10 ME/P deliveries Updates: Pakistan Army Aviation.

[Boss]

The parts you will able to fabricate locally will be of very low value. Better to order them in bulk anyway.

Most parts are specialized and require specialized tooling, which would be an expensive Capital expenditure to setup.

You can do some sheet metal work, but for things like servos, gear box, engine components which require high level of metallurgy and machining, it will be cheaper to import.

Pakistan doesn't have that level of market to justify the cost unless the same tooling/machines are used to make parts for other industries as well.

Did you know Pakistan supplies high end precision machined parts to Boeing and Airbus.

 

[Scorpio]

IMO, its time for both K-8 and F-7PG to go.

K8 will replace with what??

 

[rafale]

Did you know Pakistan supplies high end precision machined parts to Boeing and Airbus.

Those are very limited and not really very high end parts. It was a pet project during musharraf times to import heavy expensive machines and tooling and make these parts. Happened in time of Farooq leghari as well with setup of PIA machine parts complex. All failed to provide commercial value.

I work at power plants. There was a recent order by the Power Division sent to all power plant owners/operators and also chemical plants that make a list of all spare parts you can indigenously procure or can be produced locally thereby saving foreign exchange on spare parts. Push was coming from the military factories and we had been given suggested vendors such as Wah Ordnance Factories, Machine Tool Factory, Nescom, HMC etc.

Believe it or not, nothing of value we could find that was manufactured in Pakistan that we could order as many of our spares.

and i am taking about basic industrial stuff, like valves (certain types/material/process conditions), servos, Process Safety valves. Sure some you could find, but no one wants their job on the line with questionable or non-warranted quality items in critical plant systems.

I have worked with American suppliers (GE), Germans (Siemens) and Chinese (Various items) and items are made or shipped from all over the world.

Only Chinese have the capability to truly manufacture anything and everything when they set their mind to it. No one else comes close. Not even India.

 

[SABRE]

K8 will replace with what??

If PAF is indeed acquiring J-35, which appears to be the case after RIAT show, then I think it should have 2 trainers: one single-engine and one twin-engine.

For twin engine Hongdu JL-10 could be an option. There was a talk of it sometime ago. I suspect this might be acquired once J-35 are inducted. I also think PAF should look into M-346, although availability of its engine might be problematic. For single engine TAI Hurjet might be an option. However, its still in development and availability of its American engine might be problematic.

Just for info: Egypt might to be considering getting something to replace or supersede its K-8.

 

[Scorpio]

Turks express pride in Pakistan’s new Chinese Z-10ME helis but regret failing to deliver T129s due to U.S. export bans. They blame Washington and vow never to rely on American parts again. Call for stronger future defense ties with Pakistan.

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[Scorpio]

If PAF is indeed acquiring J-35, which appears to be the case after RIAT show, then I think it should have 2 trainers: one single-engine and one twin-engine.

For twin engine Hongdu JL-10 could be an option. There was a talk of it sometime ago. I suspect this might be acquired once J-35 are inducted. I also think PAF should look into M-346, although availability of its engine might be problematic. For single engine TAI Hurjet might be an option. However, its still in development and availability of its American engine might be problematic.

Just for info: Egypt might to be considering getting something to replace or supersede its K-8.

JL 15 is sitting long in PAF wish list for long time ..

Even PAF evaluate other plateform as well..

But the problem is funds.... So they do not moved forward

There fund already dedicated to J10c .. once they are over then they will move to J35 .. unfortunately JL15 will mostly probably remain in wishlist for long

 

[Lion]

What is it for ? Any idea ?

In due time it will be clear

 

[Fatman17]

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How the Z-10ME Redefines the Role of Pakistan’s Army Aviation Corps​

Defence Uncut by Bilal Khan

The Pakistan Army has officially inducted its first units of Z-10ME attack helicopters, closing a complex and often-frustrated search for a new gunship that spanned nearly 15 years.

The arrival of this modern Chinese platform is more than a simple hardware replacement for the army’s aging AH-1F Cobras; it represents a fundamental and necessary shock to the system, forcing a complete re-evaluation of Army Aviation’s doctrine, tactics, and its role in the future multi-domain battlefield.

The era of the low-flying, direct-fire-support gunship, a concept that defined the Cobra’s mission, is over. Lessons from high-intensity conflicts, most notably Russia’s staggering helicopter losses in Ukraine , have shown that even advanced attack helicopters are exceptionally vulnerable in airspace saturated with modern man-portable air-defence systems (MANPADS) and mobile short-range air-defences (SHORAD).

The Z-10ME is Pakistan’s answer to this new reality. It is not a Cold War-style tank buster but a sophisticated, networked weapons platform designed for survivability and standoff engagement. Understanding its impact requires looking beyond the airframe to the new operational concepts it enables and the systemic changes it will demand from Pakistan’s land forces.

In the latest episode of the Defence Uncut podcast, the Quwa team delves into the strategic implications of the Z-10ME’s induction. We analyze the doctrinal shift from direct fire support to standoff strikes, the critical need for joint PAF-Army operations to control the low-altitude battlespace, and how this platform fits into a broader ‘system of systems’ that includes drones, electronic warfare, and networked sensors.

Pakistan Army Aviation’s “BVR Moment”​

The core of our conversation explores the necessary evolution of Army Aviation, driven by the capabilities of the Z-10ME and the realities of the modern battlefield.

From Tank-Buster to Standoff Striker: The End of the Cold War Gunship​

The primary role of a Cold War gunship was to fly low and provide direct fire against enemy armor. This doctrine is now obsolete. The proliferation of effective and easily concealable air defences means that a helicopter operating within a few kilometers of enemy ground forces has a very low life expectancy.

The Z-10ME was designed with this threat in mind.

Its induction, complete with standoff munitions like the CM-502KG non-line-of-sight missile, which has a range exceeding 25 km, fundamentally changes the mission. The Army’s gunships will no longer be chasing individual tanks; instead, they will operate from safer distances as “hit-and-run” strikers against high-value targets like command posts, enemy air defences, and counter-artillery radars.

A ‘System of Systems’: The Z-10ME in a Networked Battlefield​

The Z-10ME is best understood not as an individual platform, but as a flying sensor and command node within a wider network.

Equipped with a sophisticated defensive aids suite, electronic warfare jammers, and advanced sensors, its two-person crew can manage a complex battlespace. In the future, this will likely include controlling swarms of loitering munitions or FPV drones, directing them onto targets identified by the helicopter’s sensors.

This represents a monumental shift for Army Aviation, moving it from an operator of individual assets to the manager of a networked system of systems, where the helicopter itself may not be the primary weapon.

Joint Operations: The Inevitable Integration with the PAF​

To be truly effective, the Army’s new aviation doctrine cannot exist in a vacuum. Controlling the low-altitude domain will require unprecedented synergy between the Army and the Pakistan Air Force.

The Z-10ME, even with its standoff capabilities, will still operate under the threat of mobile Indian air-defence systems. Creating temporary, safe corridors for the helicopters to conduct their strikes will depend on the PAF. This means missions where PAF assets – such as JF-17s equipped with anti-radiation missiles – conduct Suppression/Destruction of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD/DEAD) operations to neutralize threats, allowing the Z-10MEs to attack their ground targets.

This combined-arms approach, where air and land assets are seamlessly integrated to achieve a specific effect, is the future of warfare in the region.

Listen to the Full Discussion​

For a comprehensive analysis of the Z-10ME’s capabilities, its doctrinal impact, and the future of Pakistan’s low-altitude combat strategy, the latest episode of Defence Uncut offers an essential, in-depth discussion. The conversation connects the dots between new hardware, evolving tactics, and the overarching strategic imperatives facing the Pakistan Army.

 

[Scorpio]

Possible Localization of Z10ME components in Pakistan in coming years

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[Aamir Hussain]

A brand new large facility is coming up at the old Fateh Jang airfield. A new runway has already been constructed. New very large sheds are under construction. The runway is too short for jets so I assumed that it might be for UAVs (the original runway was used by NDC for testing UAVs) (See my post in the UAV section) but with this new rumor, it might very well be a helicopter manufacturing facility.

!55 KM from the border and with houses right upto the perimeter wall. In fact some of the houses have their roofs overlooking the boundary wall!!

Too close to the border and with huge issues of security. Let us see what will it be used for.

 

[Yasser76]

!55 KM from the border and with houses right upto the perimeter wall. In fact some of the houses have their roofs overlooking the boundary wall!!

Too close to the border and with huge issues of security. Let us see what will it be used for.

Yeah, Indian artillery can be zeroed in on that place for sure, but as a main base not a bad place. As soon as things look like they are getting serious I am hoping we can actually disperse these birds to austere field locations?

 

[Aamir Hussain]

Yeah, Indian artillery can be zeroed in on that place for sure, but as a main base not a bad place. As soon as things look like they are getting serious I am hoping we can actually disperse these birds to austere field locations?

I for one don think it is a production facility but more of a drone operations facility. But I still suggest that we should seriously think of relocating away from the border and build couple of main bases in Baluchistan and KPK. Bohlari was also iffy, 226 Km from the border. But then hindsight is 20/20

 

[Yasser76]

I for one don think it is a production facility but more of a drone operations facility. But I still suggest that we should seriously think of relocating away from the border and build couple of main bases in Baluchistan and KPK. Bohlari was also iffy, 226 Km from the border. But then hindsight is 20/20

We know India can hit anywhere in Pakistan, locating bases further back gives us more warning of a few minutes (vital in war granted) but is no real defence. I think dispersal is key. Similar concept to what the USAF and US Marines are training for in the Pacific against China. Even is we pop over a massive missile barrage we know we can expect the same back for sure, so we need to play on the lack of Indian ISR and constent real time Sat coverage, use these weakneses against them

 

[MirageV3ff]

 

[wanglaokan]

Turks express pride in Pakistan’s new Chinese Z-10ME helis but regret failing to deliver T129s due to U.S. export bans. They blame Washington and vow never to rely on American parts again. Call for stronger future defense ties with Pakistan.

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For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

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another reason I like our weapon in Pakistan inventory because they make fantastic video.