Z-20 (all variants) thread
- Thread starter delft
- Start date
This baseline variant we see I think should be the general transport variant.
Installing side machine guns or gatling guns isn't a common practice for past PLA transport helicopters either, so we probably won't see it on Z-20 as a normal fixture until we see it as a more normal fixture on say Mi-17s or Z-18s/8Gs.
However what we do see on the baseline Z-20 is the presence of a respectable self defense aids suite as well as what looks like a nose mounted radar and a chin mounted pilot night vision system. The latter two features are ones that I don't think come as standard for most UH-60 baseline transport helicopters, but are typically more seen aboard the pave hawk variety.
In any case, the Z-20F is said to have flown first about a year ago now, and we have new that blurry pic which may be depicting it as well. I'm sure it'll be just a matter of time until we get clearer pictures of Z-20F.
Is this missing a picture, or?
i.e.: I assume you were looking to post this?
It looks like it could be legit to me, in the sense that it follows the blurry pics from the last few days and there is nothing tell tale about it that distinctively suggests a PS, and the details more or less are what we would expect for a prototype of Z-20F; EO ball, rear landing gear moved forward, square hole that could be for dipping sonar etc.
One thing that is a bit strange is lack of an obvious belly radome for a surface search radar, but it might be space reserved as shown by the circle on the belly.
Alternatively and less likely, is the possibility that it could use a conformal distributed radar system as it looks like there might be a rectangular/roundish protrusion below the right cockpit door that might be one array for a side looking radar system, however it might be just the angle of the aircraft and the low quality image giving that appearance.
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Naval version. PSed or real?
Earlier versions:
Ah, I thought so.
I think it's real in any case. See my edit to my last post above.
I'm however surprised in that unique cut-out on the tail - something the Army variant does not have - and the number: Is this just a 3-digit CFTE number or already a 5-digit number?
TerraN_EmpirE
Tyrant King
I think across the board they could use these. Naval and SF that is.
The Navy has LAMPS style machines for the near term.
There is not such thing as a “Semi Stealth” helicopter. In order to be proper Stealth is needs a reduction in RCS to the ridiculous level. Raptor, Lighting, B2 and F117 have RCS profiles measured when compared to metal marbles and insects. That’s why I use VLO as a short hand Very Low Observable. Because the profiles are smaller than birds.
NH90 has its lines to reduce drag. Same for Z10 and Bell’s Invictus concept.
Any RCS reduction of the fuselage is minor as the real trouble maker of the Helicopter in regards to RCS is the Rotor mast. This is then followed by the tail rotor.
No one who doesn’t have a security clearance or been locked away in some black site knows what the Stealth Hawk looks like. We know what the tail section looked like. But the mast was burned to a crisp and removed by the US. Comanche was custom built for a RCS it was measured as 360 times smaller from the frontal aspect than the AH64. Its side profile was smaller than the Hellfire missiles it carried.
