Z-20 (all variants) thread
- Thread starter delft
- Start date
Check out more Z-20 pix, anyone knows whats the round thing attached to the nose?
Uhhh...Those are blackhawks.
Black hawk for comparison
The haters are going to have a field day with this one. I'm worried that Sikorsky in America is going to sue. What powerplant does it use ? My guess will be the new WZ-16 turboshaft engine jointly developed with France or its a Ukranian import.
Costas 240GD
Junior Member
No, the medevac Blackhawk picture is flipped.
asif iqbal
Lieutenant General
Until we get a higher resolution it's hard to say but it looks exactly like a Blackhawk!?
What is China doing here, surely they have a very modern platform AC313 which flew years ago and they have access to many European designs I was hoping a hybrid between say Blackhawk and AW101 should easily have been within the scope of Chinese aviation industry, quite disappointing
This could just be like a test platform for something else they have planned?
What is China doing here, surely they have a very modern platform AC313 which flew years ago and they have access to many European designs I was hoping a hybrid between say Blackhawk and AW101 should easily have been within the scope of Chinese aviation industry, quite disappointing
This could just be like a test platform for something else they have planned?
I think PLA is trying to develop a bigger helicopter capable of being stored on-board the present frigate and destroyer in the PLAN. I recalled that Jeff try to to jam a folded-up blackhawk into the hanger of the 054a frigate (models of course) a year or two back. The present PLAN helicopters on both the frigates and destroyers are really puny and don't do justice to the warships. Just my two cents.
superdog
Junior Member
I wouldn't say it look "exactly" like a blackhawk, based on the rough shape in the photo I think this is clearly not a direct copy (1:1 reverse engineering) of the blackhawk, but it heavily borrowed the basic structure and design philosophy of the blackhawk.
I know many military enthusiasts may feel disappointed, personally I wish to see something more refreshing as well. But the designers are not building this for a creative or PR contest, their priority is how to make something that best meets or exceeds the PLA's requirement given the capability and time constrain they have. If it means borrowing heavily from a proven foreign design, they'd have no reason not to do it. Don't forget that even the modern-looking AC313 was the result of a long-term evolution from the Super Frelon.
I think what could be asked from this exposure is that, if they did have the option to go on different design routes for a 10-ton chopper, why did they end-up choosing the blackhawk's overall structure? Why not a shrinked Mi-17 or an enlarged Z-15? Are the other options simply too risky to develop (e.g. may take longer, less battle-tested, etc.), or does the blackhawk's design uniquely provides something the PLA craved for? Are they looking to shove this thing into a Y-8/9 without taking it apart? I'm quite curious about this.
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