Blogger may have revealed how many Z-10ME helicopters Pakistan bought from China

Pakistan’s contract to buy Chinese Z-10ME attack helicopters covers 30 airframes, according to an image circulating on Chinese social media.

The image was shared by a prominent military blogger on Sunday and marks the first time a concrete number for Pakistan’s fleet of the helicopters has surfaced since Islamabad officially inducted them into service in August last year.

In the post, the blogger known as Sashoujian said that on July 11 China National Aero-Technology Import and Export Corporation (CATIC) signed an export contract with Pakistan’s Ministry of Defence Production for 30 Z-10ME attack helicopters, along with associated products and services.

While the post did not specify which year the contract was signed, the Ministry of Defence Production became the Defence Industrial Production and Regulatory Authority in June this year.

“[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,” the post said.

Previous media reports suggested that Pakistan – a major buyer of Chinese arms – had sought to buy as many as 40 Z-10-series helicopters as early as 2022.

The Pakistani military has hailed their induction as “a major leap” in modernising the army’s aviation capabilities.

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Neither Beijing nor Islamabad has officially confirmed the order size, financial details or delivery schedules. The South China Morning Post could not independently verify the image shown in the social media post.

Neither CATIC nor its parent, Aviation Industry Corporation of China, could be contacted for comment.

The Z-10ME is an upgraded export variant of the Z-10 operated by the People’s Liberation Army’s ground and air forces, and has routinely been used in exercises near China’s border with India and in the Taiwan Strait.

Chinese state media previously showcased the Z-10 operating in the high-altitude Tibet autonomous region, showing an operational ceiling of roughly 6,000 metres (19,685 feet) – a capability that could be required in Pakistan’s mountainous border environments.

The Z-10ME features improved WZ-9C turboshaft engines that can deliver greater power output than the standard variant, as well as upgraded electronic warfare capabilities, according to media reports.

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Pakistan Army Aviation’s (PAA) decision to buy the Z-10ME followed years of attempts to acquire the AH-1Z Viper from the United States and the T129 ATAK from Turkey, both of which collapsed under Western export restrictions.

The 6-tonne (6.6-ton) Z-10ME joins a PAA fleet that has relied for nearly four decades on ageing US-built AH-1F Cobras and a handful of Russian Mi-35 Hind assault helicopters — platforms increasingly viewed as obsolete.

The Z-10ME was first unveiled at China’s Zhuhai air show in 2018 before making its overseas debut at the Singapore Airshow in 2024.

More recently, in early October, the helicopter was showcased at the Marrakech Air Show in Morocco alongside the J-10CE fighter, Y-20 strategic airlifter, Z-20 utility helicopter and the Wing Loong drone family, according to a social media post by AVIC on October 10.

The unverified post comes at a time when Chinese aircraft are playing a larger role in Islamabad’s military. When Pakistan clashed with India in May, the country claimed to have shot down Indian-operated French Rafale fighter jets using Chinese-made J-10CE fighters.