Harbin Z-20

Overview

The Harbin Z-20 (Chinese: 直-20), also known as Shendiao-20(Chinese: 神雕-20; pinyin: shén diāo-20; lit. 'Divine Eagle-20'), is a Chinese medium-lift utility helicopter produced by the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG). It was first flown on 23 December 2013 and has a maximum takeoff weight in the range of 10 tonnes (22,000 lb). The Z-20 can operate from locations above 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in altitude as well as from the Liaoning aircraft carrier. It is regarded to be comparable in performance to the US-made Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, of which the civilian Sikorsky S-70C-2 variant has been used by the People's Liberation Army since 1984.