Red Hawk rising: how the Z-20 helicopter family plugs China’s defence gaps

The striking resemblance underscores China’s decades-long effort to close the technological gap with the United States and Russia in the important aviation sector of helicopters.

Yet, there are differences: the Z-20 has five main rotor blades compared with the UH-60’s four, and its cabin features two front windows instead of the American model’s three.

The Z-20 is Beijing’s most advanced military helicopter designed for multiple situational uses, including in the Taiwan Strait.

Over the next three and a half decades, China relied solely on this ageing and shrinking fleet for both military and civilian missions in its vast high-altitude territories.