Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

INTRODUCTION

The Sikorsky corporation calls the UH-60 Black Hawk “America’s helicopter.” It has been in service for more than a quarter of a century, and with more than 1,500 Black Hawks on active duty with Regular Army and National Guard units around the world, it is the backbone of the United States Army’s military helicopter fleet. Tough, reliable and with excellent performance, the Black Hawk has been used for a wide variety of missions, from combat to peacekeeping through drug interdiction to disaster relief. It is even used to fly the President.

Black Hawks are expected to operate anywhere in the world. Able to carry up to 11 troops, they can fly and fight in conditions ranging from hot and high desert conditions to the freezing cold and hurricane force winds of the Arctic.

The versatility of the Black Hawk means that it can fly virtually any kind of mission the Army requires of it, from troop transport and combat assault through to resupply and combat support to artillery transport and electronic warfare. Black Hawks serve as flying ambulances, Special Forces transports, and command-and-control platforms. They transport everything from food and ammunition to fuel and personnel. As a utility helicopter, it is one of the best in the world.

The Black Hawk is a highly effective helicopter, even though its basic design dates back more than three decades. It has been the subject of numerous upgrades aimed to keep the aircraft at the forefront of battlefield capability. One of the most important developments has been the introduction of new, more powerful engines, which when allied to a more rugged gearbox and toughened flight controls originally developed for the naval variant of the design, the SH-60 Seahawk, allow the L model of the Black Hawk to take off at a maximum gross weight of 22,000 pounds.

The ability to withstand battle damage was one of the key requirements for the original Army specification for the Black Hawk, with the capability to keep flying in the face of high-explosive cannon shells of up to 23mm being an essential feature of its construction. The Black Hawk airframe is versatile, and the type has been adapted to a variety of missions including special operations, maritime search and rescue, and VIP transport.