UH-60 Black Hawk

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For other uses of Blackhawk/Black Hawk, see Black Hawk.

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The Sikorsky UH(Utility Helicopter)-60 Black Hawk is "twin-turbine engine, single rotor, semi-monocoque fuselage, rotary wing helicopter." (TM 1-1520-237-10, HQ Department of The Army OCT 96) The medium-lift utility or assault helicopter was the winner of a United States Army competition in the late 1970s to replace the Huey (UH-1) family. Though the two final competing designs were both developed to Army specifications, the UH-60 was selected over an entry from Bell Helicopters. It would go on to serve as the basis for variants in service with other branches of the US military.

Sikorsky offered the design in the defense market, leading to its purchase by over 20 other countries. It is in service with the armies of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, the People's Republic of China, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Republic of China (Taiwan), Thailand, and Turkey. The largest and most well known user remains the United States.

It can perform a wide array of missions, including the tactical transport of troops, electronic warfare, and aeromedical evacuation: several Black Hawks are even used to transport the President of the United States as Marine One. In air assault operations it can move a squad of 11 combat troops and equipment or reposition the 105 mm M102 howitzer, thirty rounds of ammunition, and a six-man crew in a single lift. Alternatively, it can carry 2,600 lb (1,170 kg) of cargo or sling load 9,000 lb (4,050 kg) of cargo. The Black Hawk is equipped with advanced avionics and electronics, such as the global positioning system.

The standard UH-60 comes in many variants, and many different modifications. The standard US Army version is now fitted with wings that allow it to carry up to four external fuel tanks for extended range operations.

The HH-60G Pave Hawk is a highly modified version of the Black Hawk primarily designed to recover downed aircrew or other isolated personnel during war. Some versions, such as the Air Force MH-60G Pave Hawk and the United States Coast Guard HH-60J Jayhawk, are equipped with a rescue hoist with a 200 ft (60.96 m) cable that has a 600 lb (270 kg) lift capability, and a retractable in-flight refueling probe.

The Black Hawk was developed to meet a US Army requirement for a UH-1 Iroquois replacement in 1972. Three prototypes were constructed, the first (YUH-60) flying in October 1974, and evaluated against a rival (YUH-61) Boeing-Vertol design. The Black Hawk was selected for production and the UH-60A entered service with the US Army in 1979. In the late 1980s the model was upgraded to the UH-60L (First production aircraft 89-26179) which featured more power and lift with the upgrade to the -701C model of the GE engines. A newer model being engineered (UH-60M), which will extend the service life of both UH-60A's and UH-60L's well into the 2020s, features still more power and lift and state of the art electronic instrumentation, flight controls and aircraft navigation control.

The United States Navy received the first navalized SH-60B Seahawks in 1983 and the SH-60F in 1988. The United States Air Force received the MH-60G Pave Hawk in 1982 while the United States Coast Guard received the HH-60J Jayhawk in 1992. The unit cost varies with the version. For example, the unit cost of the Army's UH-60L Black Hawk is $5.9 million while the unit cost of the Air Force MH-60G Pave Hawk is $10.2 million.

The S-70A Firehawk is a version of the Black Hawk designed for firefighting, rescue, medical evacuation, and external lift of bulky cargo and equipment. The Oregon National Guard was the first military organization in the world to add the Firehawk to its inventory; the Los Angeles County Fire Department was the first municipal organization.

The Army also flies medical evacuation models which are configured as rotary winged medical suites. They also used the Blackhawks for special operations by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers") known as the MH-60K at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Many pilots in the United States Army refer to the Black Hawk as the "Night Hawk" (Tom Clancy also uses this term in his 1998 novel "Rainbow Six").

When firing the GAU minigun, voice communications in the cabin is greatly impaired and so alternative communications should be planned for.

1 Specifications (UH-60 Black Hawk)
2 UH-60 in popular media
3 External links
4 Related content

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Specifications (UH-60 Black Hawk)

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UH-60 in popular media

UH-60s have been featured in many movies and games, though certain examples stand out from the rest:

Clear and Present Danger
Black Hawk Down
The Delta Force spin-off Delta Force: Black Hawk Down and its expansion Delta Force: Black Hawk Down: Team Sabre
Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis
Battlefield 2
In Team America, the character Gary, portraying a man of arabic nature, speaks of the 'Infidels' (Americans) coming in their Black Hawks to kill his goats.