Harbin Z-20
Harbin Z-20 | |
---|---|
Role | Medium lift helicopter |
National origin | China |
Manufacturer | Avicopter |
First flight | 23 December 2013 |
Status | Flight testing |
Primary user | People's Liberation Army |
The Harbin Z-20 or Zhi-20 is a medium lift helicopter produced in the Northeast of China. Its first flight was on 23 December 2013.[1] The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight in the range 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 a 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
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
- AgustaWestland AW149
- Eurocopter EC725
- KAI Surion
- Mil Mi-8/Mil Mi-17
- NHIndustries NH90
- Denel Oryx
- Related lists
References
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.