US Army Plans on Black Hawk Serving Another 40 Years
Sikorsky – celebrating its 100th anniversary this year – delivered its 5,000th ‘Hawk’ helicopter on 20 January – a UH-60M Black Hawk for the US Army.
“Sikorsky, as a company, has been forged by the Black Hawk,” said Sikorsky President, Paul Lemmo. “The Black Hawk and its variants deliver when reliability and performance are non-negotiable. Hawk aircraft continue to demonstrate their versatility and readiness with the latest technological advancements and ongoing US 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 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 modernisation.
The US Army is the largest Black Hawk operator, and noted the key role the aircraft continues to fill 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,” observed Col Calvin Lane, the utility helicopter project manager for 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 Future of the Black Hawk
As far as future evolution of the family is concerned, as US Army Future Vertical Lift aircraft are fielded, the Black Hawk will remain the foundational tactical air assault and utility aircraft for the service. Modernisation 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, in collaboration with DARPA, Lockheed Martin flew its first unmanned Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) UH-60A/S-70 Black Hawk testbed helicopter powered by Sikorsky’s MATRIX autonomy technology. Subsequent flights at the 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, VP 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.”
