| Harbin Z-20 | |
|---|---|
| Role | Medium lift helicopter |
| National origin | China |
| Manufacturer | Avicopter |
| First flight | 23 December 2013 |
| Status | prototype |
| Primary user | People's Liberation Army |
The Harbin Z-20 or Zhi-20 is a medium lift helicopter produced in the Northeast of China. It's first flight was on the 23 December 2013.[1] The helicopter has a payload capacity of 10 tons,[2] can drop troops at locations of up to 3,000 ft (910 m) altitude, and could operate form the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning.[3] It is thought to be comparable to the US made Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, the civilian Sikorsky S-70C-2 variant of which has been used by the People's Liberation Army since 1984.[4] Some sources suggest that the Z-20 is in fact a close copy of the Black Hawk[5] and link the design to the Black Hawk that was abandoned by US special forces in Pakistan during the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on 1 May 2011.[6] The sources say that Pakistan allowed Chinese officials to examine the Black Hawk wreckage.[7] However, Aviation Week also points out that although some aspects of the design do appear similar, such as the tail wheel arrangement, there are also marked differences. For example, the Chinese Z-20 has a five blade rotor compared with the Black Hawks' four blades.[2]
See also[]
- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
- AgustaWestland AW149
- Eurocopter AS532 Cougar
- KAI Surion
- Mil Mi-8/Mil Mi-17
- NHIndustries NH90
- Denel Oryx
- List of active Chinese military aircraft
- List of Chinese aircraft
- List of utility helicopters
- People's Liberation Army Air Force
- Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation
- Utility helicopter
References[]
- ↑ Fei (26 December 2013). "China Develops New Type of Helicopter: DM". CRI English. http://english.cri.cn/6909/2013/12/26/3521s805319.htm. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Bradley Perrett (24 December 2013). "Chinese Military Utility Helo Makes First Flight". Aviation Weekly. http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_12_24_2013_p0-650365.xml. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ Staff Reporter (24 December 2013). "Z-20: China's first domestic tactical utility helicopter". Want China Times. http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20131225000012&cid=1101. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ Global Times (24 December 2013). "First helicopter flight". Global Times. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/833783.shtml#.UrxWD3ntmhF. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ Chris Luo (24 December 2013). "China’s new ‘Black Hawk’ helicopter takes maiden flight". SCMP. http://www.scmp.com/news/china-insider/article/1389653/chinas-new-black-hawk-helicopter-takes-maiden-flight. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ David Cenciotti (3 September 2013). "Mysterious Chinese Helicopter Emerges That Resembles The One Used In Bin Laden Raid". Business Insider. http://www.businessinsider.com/china-helicopter-may-be-copy-from-bin-laden-2013-9. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
- ↑ Zachary Keck (26 December 2013). "Did China Just Clone a Black Hawk Helicopter". The Diplomat. http://thediplomat.com/2013/12/did-china-just-clone-a-black-hawk-helicopter/. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
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The original article can be found at Harbin Z-20 and the edit history here.