The Z-8 in real life.
The Jingdezhen Z-8 is a licensed-built copy of the French SA 321 Super Frelon (English: Hornet) for the People's Liberation Army as a transport helicopter. Thirteen of these helicopters were purchased from France for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in 1977-78, and they were reverse-engineered and later built at the Changhe Aircraft Factory. The helicopter went into service in 1994 in the PLAN, while it was still under evaluation for the Army until 1999.
Battlefield 2
In Battlefield 2, the Z-8 is used as the PLA transport helicopter. It is in much regard, more similar to its MEC equivalent, the Mi-17 Hip, then its USMC equivalent, the MH-60S Knight Hawk due to having Type 85 heavy machine guns mounted in its doors, rather than M134 Dillon miniguns.
The Z-8 also handles much like the Mi-17 and is more sluggish when compared to the MH-60. The vehicle can hold a total of three crew - a pilot and two gunners - and three passengers. It is best used in its intended role as a troop transporter, but it is possible to use the Z-8 in a role similar to the Knight Hawk, where the gunners provide support to ground troops, although this is rarely seen due to the Knight Hawk's guns being better optimized for this role.
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