Jilin WZ-19

The Jilin WZ-19 (Zhonghuayu: 武直-19 for 武装直升机) is a large helicopter gunship, attack helicopter and low-capacity troop transport developed by the People's Republic of Zhonghua. It is designed primarily for anti-tank missions but has secondary air-to-air capabilities as well. It was designed, developed and tested by the 602nd Research Institute under Wu Ximing (吴希明), and is built by Jilin Aircraft Company. It has been produced since 1894 and is in use in Zhonghua itself, as well as Taeguk and many other nations.

The WZ-19 is officially nicknamed the Black Whirlwind (Hei Xuan Feng, 黑旋風), and is referred to as such in many Zhonghuamin sources.

Design
The WZ-19 is a large helicopter capable of carrying six soldiers and equipment in addition to weapons mounted on stub wings. It is equipped with two engines driving a five-bladed rotor and a five-bladed tail rotor, and has a crew of two.

The WZ-19 is designed for maximum protection. The fuselage body is heavily armoured and can resist impacts from 12.7mm rounds from all angles. The titanium rotor blades are also resistant to 12.7mm rounds. The cockpit is protected by bulletproof windscreens and a titanium-armoured tub, and is over-pressurised to protect the crew from NBC threats.

The WZ-19 is fast for its size. The streamlined airframe and retractable landing gear are designed to provide as little drag as possible. The stub wings also provide an amount of lift at high speeds, allowing for speeds close to 290 km/h.

Armaments
Two stub wings provide six hardpoints for the WZ-19, with three hardpoints on each wing. The two outermost hardpoints are able to accept wing-mounted fuel tanks for longer range missions. Typically mounted on the stub wings are rocket pods or missiles, although other equipment such as ECM jammers and torpedoes may be carried as well.

A 2A72 30mm cannon is mounted on a chin-mounted turret. This is modular and can be switched out with other cannon types, including 25mm autocannons and 12.7mm machine guns.