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| Chinese Zhi-9 choppers (Reuters) |
Reuters
PHNOM PENH: Cambodia will use part of a $195 million loan from China to buy 12 of its military helicopters and boost its tiny fleet, its defence minister said on Wednesday, the latest deal underlining Beijing's tight alliance with the Southeast Asian country.
Tea Banh said the 12 Chinese-built Zhi-9 army utility helicopters would be for use mainly in humanitarian missions. He did not disclose the cost of the helicopters.
"Clearly, these will help our efficiency and capability," Tea Banh said during a ceremony in which the Deputy Chief of Staff of China's military, General Qi Jianguo, signed an agreement to help train Cambodia's armed forces.
China has played a key role in improving Cambodia's dilapidated military inventory over the past two years, as well as providing big loans and a slew of large-scale investments in construction, energy, transport and agriculture.
That influx of cash has earned China a small but significant ally in Southeast Asia as the United States seeks to boost its footprint in the region to capitalise on its growth and counter Beijing's growing influence.
Critics accuse China of using its economic muscle to ensure Cambodia works in its strategic interests within the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which requires consensus on all decisions.
In the past year, Chinese companies have pledged to invest $8 billion in Cambodia, a figure equivalent to almost two-thirds of its entire economy. The $195 million loan was made in late 2012.
The alliance between the two countries expanded to defence support in 2010 when Beijing donated 250 jeeps, trucks and ambulances to Cambodia's army after the U.S. scrapped its plan to provide the military with 200 vehicles.
That was in response to Cambodia sending 20 ethnic minority Uighur asylum seekers back to China in 2009 at Bejing's request.
Much of Cambodia's military equipment is outdated and in need of repair, with only a few helicopters currently in use.
9 comments:
pro unit costs $ 16,25 Million but AH-64 (A-D) costs per unit, plaese se over hier:
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_AH-64_Apache
Why they choose chinese product?
Cheap and unreliable toys! Does these chopers come with liability insurance or one year warrantee if defects China will replace its free of charge.Its a win win situation for China,they build Chopers and loan to Camofia of its dogs Cpp-Hun cent,and the bill will be paid later by the new generations of khmers' childrens.Camofia of Hun cent borrowing irresponsible to make his boss (China) super rich!
Better than kites.
This model Zhi-9 is just for show in China army but ill now those types have never userd in the bettle field like Apache-64, Tiger from Frace & Germany or ka-50 from Russia.
1)Ppache A-D:
2)Tiger:
3)Ka-50:
The costs of those are no different from Zhi-9. Now China develop the new Zhi-10.
These helicopters are will be used to suppress innoccent Khmer people. Not good for combat, designed for military usage back in the 80's only sufficient part of this is the longer flight endurance, equipped with multi rocket launchers, Soviet copy cat.
another tool for the cee Pee Pee to extract wealth from remote areas.
You are wrong, Zhi -9 are not in the same class of attack helicopters you listed. They are mostly utilities use, even the attack version are not even in the same class. Now Zhi-10 is. Still Zhi -9 are significant boost to our military to help with disaster relief, transport our special forces to remote areas to fight Siam or Youn, transport wounded troops to hospital faster, bringing vital supplies to our front lines troops in remote places like Phnom Trop, use as aerial viewing for front lines commanders. So you can see these Zhi-9 are very useful.
Wrong, Zhi-9 are not copy of Soviet but French Daulphin with western helps. These Zhi-9 are very modern with glass cockpit, attack version are very capable with 33mm rockets for soft targets and up to APC, 8 anti-tanks tube launch missles fire and forget reaching tanks 5 kilometers away, 23mm canons. We are getting 4 attack
versions. Although they are very vurnable to MANPAD SAM missle.
ទិញដើម្បីទុកសម្លាប់ខ្មែរដែលប្រឆាំងនឹងវា។
to 4:46 AM,
I accepted your comment that this Zhi-9 is the co-production with
the French company Aérospatiale in 1980.
Please read this:
Specifications of Apache AH-64D:
--------------------------------
1) night vision systems
2) 30 mm M230 Chain Gun (Monition: 1200), Rate of fire 625 rpm,
Effective range: 1,500 m & Max. range: 4.500 m
3) 8 anti-tanks, type AGM-114 Hellfire (SAM),
Effective range: 500 m – 8 km
4) 40 x Hydra 70 rocket, Effective range: 8km -10,5 km
5) max. speed: 350 KMH ( 146 knots)
6) unit cost: US$18 million (2007)
Specifications of Zhi-9:
-------------------------
Weapons
The helicopter has a pair of weapon pylons to carry 4 (or 8 on the Z-9WA)
HJ-8 wire-guided anti-tank missiles. Alternatively, the helicopter
can carry two 12.7mm machine gun pods, or two 57mm or 90mm unguided
rocket pods, or four TY-90 IR-homing air-to-air missiles (6km range).
unit cost: US$16,4 million
making decision to buy:
Only Apache AH-64D, not Zhi-9. But I do hope Cambodia
has no right to buy this model. Because till now, the USA allow only 10 countries
on the Globe to apply this model.
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