Chinese knockoff: China debuts new helicopter that looks exactly like the Black Hawk
A new Chinese helicopter recently appeared at the 5th China Helicopter Exposition in Tianjin earlier this month- and it looks suspiciously familiar.
Adding fuel to the fiery stereotype that Chinese engineers excel at copying other nations’ products, the new Z-20 helicopter looks an awful lot like a UH-60 Black Hawk.
The Z-20, which is set to replace the Super Frelons and other helicopters in PLA service, bears more than a passing resemblance to the UH-60s, save a few structural differences.
The Z-20 has a five-bladed main rotor and more angular tail-to-fuselage joint frame, which allegedly gives it improved lift, cabin capacity, and endurance that the UH-60 does not possess. In addition, it reportedly has Fly-By-Wire systems.
As with other new Chinese military aircraft, however, such matters always seem to sound better on paper than in practice.
The PLA’s history with the Black Hawk dates back to the early 1980s, when, as a diplomatic gesture, the U.S. allowed the country to purchase 24 Sikorsky S-70s (the civilian version of the Black Hawk).
According to the South China Morning Post, the Z-20 already suffers from an issue that plagues many PLA aircraft- weak engines.
“The Z-20 is already much more advanced than those imported Black Hawks, although it might not be as mature as the latest Black Hawk variants,” said Song Zhongping, a military commentator in Hong Kong.
As for the engines, Song stated that the issue “needs to be tackled from the ground up.”
Another curious item appeared at the airshow- a “flying saucer” design that has been dubbed the “Super White Shark” by the PLA.
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