Red Hawk rising: how the Z-20 family is plugging China’s chronic defence gaps
Modern technology has put the multi-role utility helicopter ahead of the original Black Hawk, making it an anchor of the PLA’s new air era
The striking resemblance underscores China’s decades-long effort to close the technological gap with the United States and Russia in the important aviation sector of helicopters.
Yet, there are differences: the Z-20 has five main rotor blades compared with the UH-60’s four, and its cabin features two front windows instead of the American model’s three.
The Z-20 is Beijing’s most advanced military helicopter designed for multiple situational uses, including in the Taiwan Strait.
Over the next three and a half decades, China relied solely on this ageing and shrinking fleet for both military and civilian missions in its vast high-altitude territories.