The People’s Liberation Army Navy replaces the Zhi-9S and Ka-31 helicopters on the 052D guided missile destroyers.
The new anti-submarine helicopters come from the fourth production batch of the Harbin Z-20 of the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group. The helicopter, designated Z-20F, can be equipped with sonar buoys, anti-submarine torpedoes, anti-ship missiles and other weapons. The sensor equipment includes a sea search radar, a magnetic anomaly detector and a stabilized electro-optical and infrared camera tower.
The take-off weight is more than 10 tons and the maximum flight speed is around 300 km/h. The operational radius is said to be more than 400 kilometers, the maximum flight altitude around 6,000 meters and the flight duration more than five hours. The maximum payload is specified as four tons.
Indian sources believe that the Z-20F will also be deployed on the Type 054B frigates, Type 055 destroyers, Type 075 helicopter dock landing ships and Type 003 and 004 Fujian-class aircraft carriers.
China’s new 052DL destroyers also have extended helicopter decks and will therefore be able to use the Z-20F as an on-board helicopter.
The Harbin Z-20 is very similar to the Black Hawk, or in this case the Sea Hawk, but is significantly larger and heavier and equipped with a five-bladed rotor.
