China's newly unveiled Z-20T assault helicopter to debut in flight performance at upcoming helicopter expo

China's Z-20T assault helicopter, which was unveiled at China's grand military parade on September 3, will reportedly make its first flight performance at an upcoming helicopter expo next month.

The 7th China Helicopter Exposition will be held in North China's Tianjin Municipality from October 16 to 19, with multiple types of helicopters and low-altitude aircraft for military and civilian purposes scheduled to make their debuts, Tianjin Daily reported on Wednesday, citing a press conference by Tianjin's municipal government a day earlier.

This year's expo will feature a total of 52 helicopters, drones and eVTOLs, including the Z-10, Z-19, Z-20, Z-20T, Z-8L helicopters and the KVD001 and KVD002 drones of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Army, Tianjin Daily reported.

A Z-20T assault helicopter. Photo: Screenshot from Weibo account of China Military Bugle, the official press account of China's armed forces

An officer from the PLA Army said that the PLA Army will host static displays, flight performances and indoor exhibitions. Static displays will feature helicopters, drones and airborne weapons that are in active service of the PLA Army's aviation assault forces, while the flight performances will for the first time feature the assault version of the Z-20 helicopter, according to the report.

The assault version of the Z-20, known as the Z-20T, was unveiled at the grand V-Day military parade on September 3 in Beijing.

Seven Z-20T assault helicopters and three Z-8L transport helicopters formed a triangular aerial flag-bearing echelon during the military parade, reported China Military Bugle, the official press account of China's armed forces.

The Z-20T is the latest addition to the Z-20 helicopter series. Derived on the baseline version of the Z-20, the Z-20T has both fire assault and transport capabilities, according to the China Military Bugle report.

Pilot Zhang Jiayang said that compared with the original Z-20, the Z-20T has a set of small wings to carry weapons including many types of domestically developed missiles. The Z-20T also features an observation and targeting system at its nose that can provide data to enable precision strikes, China Military Bugle reported.

Wang Ya'nan, chief editor of Beijing-based Aerospace Knowledge magazine, told the Global Times that the Z-20 is a medium-sized helicopter platform with very high utility potentials.

In addition to assault missions, the Z-20 can also be modified for shipborne operations, Wang said.

Besides, the shipborne version of the Z-20, the Z-20J, made its debut at Airshow China 2024 held in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province in November 2024.

Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that the Z-20J is a primary aviation asset for amphibious marine operations, as it can be equipped with air-to-ground missiles, rockets and guns to deliver effective fire support against land targets.

As a multipurpose aircraft, the Z-20J can also perform aerial transport and search and rescue missions, he said.

(Global Times)