PLA's Z-20T is designed for Himalayan battlegrounds? China’s answer to US Black Hawk helicopters are sleek! SEE PICS

The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) unveiled its Z-20T assault helicopter, the Chinese response to the US Black Hawks, in Tianjin. The specefications of the chopper indicate they are designed according to the needs of potential needs of rocky battlefields in the Himalayas as well as the beaches of Taiwan.

 

The first public appearance of the Z-20T is expected to break the monopoly enjoyed by the UH-60 Black Hawk family and its derivatives in the realm of rotary-wing military utility helicopters. The PLA revealed their latest addition to their hangars at the 7th China Helicopter Expo, held from October 16 to 18, reports said.

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According to reports, experts are certain that the stub wings and fan-in-fin tail rotor of the Z-20T mean it was clearly influenced by the Black Hawk family. For the unversed, a fan-in-fin tail rotor uses many smaller blades enclosed inside a circular duct instead of having a rotor with a few large blades for better safety. The main rotor, meanwhile, has five blades for improved lift and stability.

 

Z-20T: Weapon systems and specifications

 

The Z-20T is powered by indigenously developed twin WZ-10 turboshaft engines, each generating roughly 1,600 kilowatts of output. Defence Security Asia said in a report. They are each capable of generating about 1,600 kilowatts of output. Giving priority to Chinese geography, the engines were made such that the choppers can effectively operate even in the hot and high altitudes of Tibet and Xinjiang, the report added. With the Himalayan challenge in mind, Z-20Ts have been equipped with anti-icing systems, along with night targeting and low-visibility operating capabilities.

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The assault choppers can be equipped with the AKD-10 semi-active laser-guided missile, which boasts a 7-kilometre range, while the AKD-21 millimetre-wave radar-guided missile can strike targets up to 18 kilometres. Of course, door-mounted heavy machine guns and chin-mounted 30mm autocannons are included, while TY-90 missiles should help it thwart drone and similar air-to-air assaults.

 

 

 

Black Hawk vs  Z-20T

 

The maximum take-off weight of Z-20Ts is 10 tonnes—the same as that of the latest UH-60M Black Hawks. The top speed of the latest Black Hawk models, such as the UH-60M military variant, is in the range of 294 km/h, while the PLA claims the top speed of its bird to be 360 kilometres per hour. A standard UH-60 Black Hawk can carry up to 15 people, including 11 troops and 4 crew, while the Z-20T is capable of taking 14 fully equipped soldiers. 

 

However, it needs to be seen if the count includes the two gunners who are counted among the crew by the US forces. Being indigenously made, the PLA will not have to wait for spare part deliveries, unlike in the case of the Black Hawk, Defence Security Asia pointed out.

Defence