{
  "id": "z-21",
  "name": "Z-21",
  "aliases": [],
  "domain": "air",
  "country": "CHN",
  "category": "Attack helicopter",
  "status": null,
  "fielded": 2024,
  "operators": [
    "CHN"
  ],
  "prolif_count": 1,
  "summary": "The Z-21 Chinese Attack Helicopter is a new heavy-weight Chinese attack helicopter based on the Harbin Z-20 airframe, intended to give the People’s Liberation Army an Apache‑class gunship with greater protection, payload, and range than the existing Z-10 fleet.",
  "specs": [
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Manufacturer",
      "section": "system",
      "v": "Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC)",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "crew",
      "v": 2,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Hardpoints",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "six hardpoints—four under the wings and two at the tips",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "length_m",
      "v": 16,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "width_m",
      "v": 13.35,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium",
      "label": "Wingspan"
    },
    {
      "k": "height_m",
      "v": 3.86,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "mass_kg",
      "v": 5200,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium",
      "label": "Empty weight"
    },
    {
      "k": "mass_kg",
      "v": [
        10000,
        12000
      ],
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium",
      "label": "Max takeoff weight"
    },
    {
      "k": "engine_name",
      "v": "2 x WZ-10",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Thrust / power",
      "section": "mobility",
      "v": "each engine rated around 1,790 kW (2,400 shp). Exhausts are said to be rerouted upward to reduce infrared signature against heat‑seeking…",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "range_km",
      "v": 650,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "ceiling_m",
      "v": 6250,
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Armor",
      "section": "protection",
      "v": "Built in the 10-to-12-ton category, the Z-21 heavy attack helicopter allows for heavier structural ballistic protection than medium gunships.",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Heat Signature Reduction",
      "section": "protection",
      "v": "Yes",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    },
    {
      "k": "",
      "label": "Armament and Payload",
      "section": "armament",
      "v": "Open-source imagery shows the Z-21 with a chin‑mounted automatic cannon and multiple under‑wing hardpoints for guided and unguided munitions.",
      "src": [
        "weg-z-21"
      ],
      "conf": "medium"
    }
  ],
  "payloads": [],
  "variants": [],
  "art": "helicopter",
  "image": null,
  "verified": null,
  "changelog": [
    {
      "date": "2026-10-10",
      "change": "Entry created from the Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN), bulk import"
    }
  ],
  "url": "https://www.defensepedia.com/systems/z-21.html",
  "sources": {
    "weg-z-21": {
      "title": "Z-21 Chinese Attack Helicopter",
      "publisher": "U.S. Army TRADOC G-2 Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)",
      "url": "https://odin.t2com.army.mil/WEG/Asset/Z-21_Chinese_Attack_Helicopter",
      "published": "2026-10-05",
      "tier": 1,
      "checked": "2026-10-10"
    }
  }
}