China's military has been massively upgrading for years. The developers often orientate themselves on Western, especially on US military technology is hard to miss in some examples. So also in 2 prototypes of a new medium transport helicopter was spotted in Tibet. It is the new Z-20 military helicopter of the Chinese Air Force, which is purely externally oriented strongly on the American UH -60 Blackhawk.
Since 2013 prototypes of the helicopter are said to have been available. The relatively late development can be attributed to the initial problems of the Chinese in the development of engines that were strong enough according to the requirements. These problems seem to have been solved in recent years.
Differences to the US version are in the shorter nose of the helicopter and the 5 instead of 4 rotor blades. It is assumed that even the Chinese version can accommodate up to 11 infantrymen. In US circles, the name "Copyhawk" has already been used for the Chinese helicopter.
Chinese Z-20 helicopters in Tibet
The development of the Z-20 leads to the late 1980s. At that time, diplomatic relations between China and the Western powers eased, allowing the Chinese military to purchase military goods from the West for the modernization of its People's Liberation Army, including the American export version of the Blackhawk version S-70. However, since China subsequently used these weapons to crush the student uprising, a short time later, an arms embargo against the country followed, with which China was again forced to develop its own weapons.
Chinese Z-20 helicopter in flight
UH-60 Blackhawk US Army helicopters for comparison
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