PLA helicopters drop supplies in Henan

The People's Liberation Army has deployed the Z-20, the military's first domestically developed medium-lift utility helicopter, to carry out aerial mapping and supply airdropping operations in Xinxiang, one of the hardest-hit regions in the flood-stricken province of Henan.

Three Z-20s of an air assault brigade under the PLA Ground Force's 83rd Group Army were ordered on Friday afternoon to fly to Xinxiang's Huixian county, where they would be loaded with urgent supplies for local residents trapped by the devastating flood.

The helicopters then flew to Caiqiying village and airdropped a total of 200 packages of bottled water, 50 large boxes of instant noodles and some medical materials onto farmland.

After the delivery, the aircraft also mapped conditions in the village and its surrounding areas to gather information for relief work, according to the group army.

On Saturday morning the helicopters continued to load and airdrop relief materials and their operations lasted until sunset.

They made 56 flights and delivered more than 60 metric tons of food, drinking water and medical necessities to 17 badly affected villages in Huixian county, which is home to nearly 20,000 people, the army said in a statement sent to China Daily on Saturday evening.

The latest equipment in the PLA Ground Force's aviation force, the Z-20 was developed and built by Aviation Industry Corp of China, a State-owned aircraft conglomerate.

The twin-engine, multipurpose helicopter made its public debut at the National Day parade in Beijing on Oct 1, 2019.

Powered by two advanced Chinese turboshaft engines, the helicopter is mainly tasked with transportation missions and can be conveniently refitted to execute other types of operations.

It is capable of fitting in different environments and landforms, including plateaus and the sea, so it can also be deployed on ships, according to its designers.