China Coast Guard's ‘monster ship' embarks Z-20 helicopter

A Z-20 in China Coast Guard livery seen here flying from Haijing 5901 . (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency)

The China Coast Guard (CCG) appears to have inducted the naval variant of the Harbin Z-20 medium-lift utility helicopter into service.

An image released by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) via its official social media pages on 18 June depicts a Z-20 airframe bearing CCG livery operating from the flight deck of the 165 m Zhaotou-class offshore patrol ship, Haijing 5901.

It is one in a series of images released by the MMEA to mark the visit of its first Tun Fatimah-class offshore patrol vessel (OPV), KM Tun Fatimah, to the port city of Sanya on China's Hainan Island.

Janes has approached the MMEA for permission to use this image and can confirm that it has not been digitally manipulated.

Haijing 5901 is often referred to by the Philippine government as a ‘monster ship' given its relatively large displacement for a coastguard vessel and its regular presence in the South China Sea.

In the image released by the MMEA, the Z-20 airframe has a tail wheel that is located closer to the cabin compared with army-operated variants of the Z-20.

This confirms its make as a naval variant of the aircraft as this tail wheel position has been designed to facilitate operations from the flight deck of helicopter-capable vessels.

Due to image resolution issues, it cannot be confirmed with certainty, but there also appears to be a chin-mounted surface search radar antenna and an external fuel tank under the helicopter's port stub wing.

If these components are present, the Z-20 will significantly extend its host vessel's maritime surveillance and search-and-rescue capabilities.