The Chinese military showcased its advanced Z-20 military helicopter at China’s largest air show in Zhuhai, according to Reuters.
Military analysts said the helicopter, which resembles the US UH-60 Black Hawk in appearance, has impressive capabilities and could have the biggest impact at sea. While China is using increasingly sophisticated warships as part of its long-term military modernisation, it is struggling to protect them, including its emerging aircraft carrier fleet, from underwater attacks, they added.
The Pentagon has long noted that weaknesses in the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) anti-submarine capability could hurt the deployment of longer-range ships. The Pentagon’s latest public report on China’s military modernisation, published in October 2023, noted that a naval version of the Z-20 is currently under development.
The Z-20F is similar to the US Navy’s SH-60 and will provide significant improvements in ASW (anti-submarine warfare) capabilities over the smaller… helicopters the PLAN currently operates.
The Z-20 will soon become the standard naval and anti-submarine helicopter, given its ability to land on ships, from corvettes and destroyers to aircraft carriers.
Modern anti-submarine tactics involve helicopters operating away from their ships, hunting and tracking enemy vessels with various sensors, and coordinating with ships and other aircraft. Most also carry light weapons such as depth bombs and torpedoes, but usually other platforms are used to attack submarines.
Tuesday’s demonstration followed state media reports in May that the Z-20 now offered amphibious capabilities and that anti-submarine versions were being developed. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies noted that China has so far fielded 15 Z-20 helicopters for search and rescue missions.
