This US Army UH-60M is the 5,000th Black Hawk delivered by Sikorsky. The iconic aircraft will continue to support medium-lift requirements for the US military and international operators for decades into the future.
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, delivered its 5,000th “Hawk” variant helicopter on Jan. 20, 2023 a US Army UH-60M Black Hawk. The iconic aircraft will continue to support medium-lift requirements for the US military and international operators for decades into the future.
“Sikorsky, as a company, has been forged by the Black Hawk,” said Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo in a company news release. “The Black Hawk and its variants deliver when reliability and performance are nonnegotiable. Hawk aircraft continue to demonstrate their versatility and readiness with the latest technological advancements and ongoing U.S. and global investment in the aircraft.”
Customers worldwide depend on the Black Hawk platform and its derivatives, including MH-60R/S maritime operations helicopters, MH-60T multi-mission helicopters, HH-60W rescue helicopters and internationally built S-70 Black Hawks to include the baseline FIREHAWK, which have all proven their versatility and capability across a spectrum of challenging mission sets.
Sikorsky’s highly skilled and experienced workforce manufactures the latest generation of Hawk aircraft built in Stratford, and there is high international demand for the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk, manufactured by Lockheed Martin’s PZL Mielec facility in Poland.
More than 35 international customers operate the Black Hawk thanks to its global support network and continued modernization.
The last country to buy the Black Hawk has been Australia that confirmed it will purchase 40 Sikorsky UH-60Ms. Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo’s comment: “The multi-mission UH-60M Black Hawk provides the Australian Army with critical capabilities that will strengthen Australia’s readiness, interoperability and security for decades to come. We continue to invest in Black Hawk modernization to provide operators with the competitive edge they require to counter and deter threats today and in future Joint All-Domain Operations.”
“We have proudly sustained Australia’s Black Hawk fleet for decades,” adds Nathalie Previte, Sikorsky’s vice president of Army and Air Force programs. “This experience coupled with Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky’s investment in our Australian team and local facilities strongly positions us to support the Australian Army’s operational and maintenance needs.”
The US Army, the largest Black Hawk operator, noted the key role the aircraft continues to fulfill during military and civil operations around the world, in addition to its significant contribution towards Joint All Domain Operations.
“For more than 40 years the Black Hawk has remarkably supported Soldiers in every major contingency operation the Army has executed,” said Col. Calvin Lane, the utility helicopter project manager for the Program Executive Office Aviation. “Even though the helicopter has been around longer than most of the Soldiers it now supports, the Army plans for it to be in front line service another 40 years and beyond. And everyone who contributes to the delivery of this aircraft in any way, contributes directly to providing combat capability that protects Soldiers and helps the Army accomplish its mission.”
The Army posted a sources sought earlier this month notice “to determine the feasibility of a competitive acquisition and to identify parties having an interest in–and the resources capable–of supporting the requirement for the production and delivery of a minimum of 1 up to a maximum of 24 UH/HH-60M aircraft annually over a 60-month delivery period from July 2028 through June 2033 (total quantity of up to 120 aircraft) and provide related production support services.”
As US Army Future Vertical Lift aircraft are fielded, the Black Hawk will remain the foundational tactical air assault and utility aircraft for the US Army. Modernization efforts that improve Black Hawk availability and reliability by lowering direct operating costs include:
- A Modular Open Systems Approach allowing rapid integration of emerging technologies to maintain relevance in future operations by increasing reach, survivability, lethality and sustainment;
- Improved Turbine Engine to increase lift capability and range;
- Advanced Digital Vehicle Management Systems supporting Degraded Visual Environment and automated operations; and
- Digital tools including predictive analytics that reduce aircraft downtime and maintenance costs.
In February 2022, Lockheed Martin flew its first uninhabited Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) Sikorsky UH-60A/S-70 Black Hawk testbed helicopter powered by Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy technology in collaboration with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Subsequent flights at US Army’s Project Convergence 2022 demonstrated future utility missions for the platform, which shows no signs of relinquishing its preeminent medium-lift capability through continuous innovation and investment.
“We are committed to all H-60 and S-70 operators and look forward to enduring partnerships on the Hawk program in the years to come,” added Nathalie Previte, vice president of Army and Air Force Systems at Sikorsky. “It remains our priority to fulfill our customers’ requirements and meet the needs of current and future operational units. With unmatched versatility and global interoperability, Hawk aircraft continue to advance 21st century security.”
Photo credit: Sikorsky Lockheed Martin and Capt. Brian Harris / U.S. Army
