Want... Chinese military analyst Li Xiaojian has told the state-run Global Times that the production of Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation's Z-20 medium-lift helicopter is likely to begin in 2018, five years after its first test flight.
Sources suggest that the Z-20 was designed based on the stealth version of the crashed US Black Hawk that was abandoned by US Navy SEALs in Pakistan during the operation to kill Osama bin Laden on May 1, 2011.
Li said China needs such aircraft to conduct search and rescue operations. During the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, various helicopters such as the Z-18, the Mi-17 and the Z-9 were mobilized to conduct humanitarian missions.
However, it was too difficult for the Z-18 and the Mi-17 to land on dangerous terrain because they are both heavy-lift helicopters designed to carry more than 13 tons. At the same time, the Z-9, with the capability to carry four tons, is too light for this kind of mission. China purchased a total of 24 Black Hawk helicopters back in 1984, but this number is not enough to meetthe needs of the People's Liberation Army.
Because of sanctions imposed after the Tiananmen Massacre in 1989, China is no longer allowed to buy US military hardware, including Black Hawk medium-lift helicopters. Li said that the Z-20's rotor system, power systems and avionic systems still have to undergo tests before the craft is ready for production. He said that the Black Hawk was put into production four years after its first test flight. As for the Z-20, Li said it will need five years. The craft's first test flight took place back in late 2013.
References:
Li Xiaojian 李小健