Pakistan has reportedly signed a major defense contract with China's CATIC to procure 30 advanced Z-10ME attack helicopters along with associated products and services. Although official confirmation is pending, the agreement highlights a historic breakthrough for Chinese military trade as domestically produced main battle attack helicopters are exported as complete units. The heavily upgraded Z-10ME variant features enhanced armor, warning sensors, and a millimetre-wave radar system, significantly bolstering the Pakistan Army Aviation fleet.

Pakistan has reportedly signed a major defense contract with China's CATIC to procure 30 advanced Z-10ME attack helicopters along with associated products and services. Although official confirmation is pending, the agreement highlights a historic breakthrough for Chinese military trade as domestically produced main battle attack helicopters are exported as complete units. The heavily upgraded Z-10ME variant features enhanced armor, warning sensors, and a millimetre-wave radar system, significantly bolstering the Pakistan Army Aviation fleet.

Pakistan has reportedly signed a major defense contract with China's CATIC to procure 30 advanced Z-10ME attack helicopters along with associated products and services. Although official confirmation is pending, the agreement highlights a historic breakthrough for Chinese military trade as domestically produced main battle attack helicopters are exported as complete units. The heavily upgraded Z-10ME variant features enhanced armor, warning sensors, and a millimetre-wave radar system, significantly bolstering the Pakistan Army Aviation fleet.

In what could be seen as a major addition to the Pakistan Army Aviation fleet, Islamabad may have contracted to procure as many as 30 Z-10ME attack helicopters from China.

While there has been no official confirmation of the order from either side, a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), citing an image circulating on Chinese social media and shared by a military blogger, suggested that the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) had inked a deal with Pakistan's Ministry of Defence Production for 30 Z-10ME helicopters.

The deal, reportedly signed on July 11, also includes associated products and services.

The post by the blogger, known as Sashoujian, marks the first time a definite number of helicopters that Pakistan is planning to procure has been revealed.

“(The contract) marks the first time that domestically produced main battle attack helicopters have been exported as a complete unit, achieving a historic breakthrough in the company’s military trade business,” SCMP quoted the social media post as saying.

However, the image circulating online has not been independently verified.

Earlier media reports had suggested that Islamabad was planning to procure 40 helicopters from the Z-10 series. The latest claim suggests that the order involves 30 helicopters.

The Z-10ME is an export-oriented, heavily upgraded variant of the Chinese Changhe Z-10 twin-turboshaft attack helicopter, built by Changhe Aircraft Industries Corporation (CAIC).

China's dedicated attack helicopter fleet is centred on the tandem-seat Z-10, which can carry anti-tank guided missiles, air-to-air missiles and rockets.

Later improvements to the variant introduced enhanced armour, warning sensors and longer-range guided weapons. The export-oriented Z-10ME incorporates additional improvements, including a millimetre-wave radar mounted above the main rotor.

The Z-10ME was first unveiled at the Zhuhai Airshow in China in 2018 and made its overseas debut at the Singapore Airshow in 2024.

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