China's new combat copter 'Black Hurricane' takes to the skies

Beijing has unveiled a homegrown combat chopper that's said to be capable of destroying the most powerful tank in the world.
Two-seat Z-19E, also known as 'Black Hurricane', is built to cater to the international market as Beijing aims to expand its presence in the global market for military aircraft.
Chinese state media claimed that the single-rotor, narrow-body aircraft is one of the most advanced helicopters of its kind worldwide.
The light attack helicopter debuted to the public in September, 2015, and made its maiden flight today in Harbin, north-east China, according to People's Daily Online.
The aircraft is expected to perform air-to-ground strikes, air-to-ground fire support and air-to-air combat in complicated weather conditions.
The newspaper claimed it has 'excellent combat abilities.
Its nickname in China is Yuan, which stands for 'Yours Useful Available Necessities', as the Chinese authority expects it to help the country gain market share against Western competitors.
The helicopter is said to feature a multiple rocket launcher, which could fire more than a dozen rockets at the same time.
It could also carry four air-to-ground missiles, which have been described as the helicopter's secret weapon, according to Xinhua News Agency.
The state Chinese news agency claims that the missiles could destroy the most powerful tank in the world.
In addition, bullet-proof armour have been fit on the pilots seats, which could block bullets from a 12.7mm machine gun, reports said.
The Chinese media are yet to release key statistics or the price of Z-19E. But it's been reported that its maximum take-off weight is 4.25 tonnes.
Z-19E is said to be an improved version of Z-19, which is 12 metres long (39 feet), 4.01 metres tall (13 feet), with a range of 800 kilometres (497 miles).
The helicopter's features are also said to be similar to those of a Z-19
Z-19E is designed and built by the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, a state-owned firm specialised in manufacturing military and industrial aircraft.
Chinese industry experts expect 100 to 150 Z-19Es to be sold in the next 10 years to worldwide clients.
The global market for military helicopter is likely to witness a steady growth over the next decade because of an increase in defense spending globally, according to a report released in December, 2016.
North America and the Asia-Pacific are likely to be the key pivots for military choppers between 2016 and 2025, followed by Europe and the Middle East, said the report.
Besides Z-19, Aviation Industry Corporation of China is the manufacturer of C919, China's first domestically built passenger plane.
The narrow-body, twin-engine plane is Beijing's first step toward independence from Boeing and Airbus as it attempts to replace all 6,000-6,800 of its western aircraft at a cost of around $1 trillion.
Single-aisle C919 made its maiden flight on May 5 in Shanghai.