The WZ-9 is an armed utility helicopter designed by the Chinese Harbin Aircraft manufacturing Corporation for the People's Liberation Army. The helicopter is a licensed copy of the French Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin and has been in service since 1994. Z-9W was China's first| anti-armor attack helicopter that become operational with People's Liberation Army. It {can armed with the HJ-8A wire-guided ATGMs, or 57mm/90mm rocket pods, or 23mm cannons, or TY-90 IR-guided AAMs.
Harbin Aircraft Manufacture Corporation (HAMC) began to develop an attack variant of its Zhi-9 (Z-9) utility helicopter in the mid-1980s. The prototype was only meant for anti-armor role, carrying a roof-mounted optical sight unit and four HJ-8 anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) below the weapon pylons. This variant first flew in 1987 and first live test fire of the missile from the helicopter happened in 1989.
The formal production variant introduced in the early 1990sincorporated with a variety of armaments, including 23mm cannon, 12.7mm machine gun pod, 57/90mm unguided rocket pod, and also the TY-90 IR-homing short-range air-to-air missile.Several dozens of the Z-9W attack helicopters were delivered to the PLA Army Aviation Corps 8th Army Aviation group (Regiment) subordinated to 38th group Army in Beijing Military Region in mid-1990s. As a results of the PLA's call to offer high priority to the army Aviation Corps in its modernisation program, a lot of units have received the Z-9W after 2000. the entire of these helicopter fielded by the PLA is estimated to be 30~40.
