It gained fame for all the wrong reasons.Black Hawk Down is one of the most famous modern day war movies ever made. As accurate as a true story can be, and it showcased America's mighty Black Hawk helicopters, in what some call The Battle of Mogadishu.One of the most reliable and safe helicopters in aviation history.It is capable of missions that range from air assault, aeromedical evacuation, command and control, special operations support and even to patrol the mysterious Area 51 in Nevada.So why is the US Army cutting 157 Black Hawks?While it currently has about 2,135 UH-60s in total, the services hopes to cut its fleet to free up funding for the Bell V-280 Valor — an advanced tiltrotor transport poised to replace many of the Black Hawks.According to Forbes magazine, acquiring the V-280, which was selected for the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) requirement, will take some financial commitment. The FLRAA contract award is worth up to US$1.3 billion, US$232 million of which the Army will have ponied up by summer 2024.Exactly how much money the Army will save by these cuts is unknown, but estimates put the total annual cost of Black Hawk helicopter maintenance somewhere north of $1 billion, Forbes reported.The V-280 is intended to eventually move troops and supplies around battlefields — including so-called air-assault missions to deposit ground forces into hostile territory..The Army plans to start equipping its first aviation unit with V-280s in the 2030-2031 timeframe.But it must first prove its reliability — the U.S. military has grounded its entire fleet of V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, after a series of deadly accidents. Some have even labelled it a "death trap."Meanwhile, the service says it will look to retire the oldest Black Hawks in its inventory — UH-60A and UH-60L models — which could represent greater savings since they are likely the highest-time helicopters in the active Army. The importance of the multi-service (Army, Navy, Air Force), internationally-sold UH-60 to Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, is hard to overstate, Forbes reported.In fact, in a press release recognizing the 5,000th UH-60 built in January 2023, a UH-60M for the Army, Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo intoned, “Sikorsky, as a company, has been forged by the Black Hawk.”While there isn’t an official price tag for each UH-60, the different models are estimated to cost between roughly US$7.5 million to US$25 million per copy.Sikorsky expects the Black Hawk to be in front line service another 40-60 years. Acquired by 35 nations, with more to come (Greece, Brazil, Sweden, Croatia and Austria), Sikorsky continues to work closely with the U.S. Army to modernize the H-60M, which will continue to operate well into the 2070s, the company said.Even Ukraine has secretly obtained some Black Hawks, although it isn't really known how..The UH-60M includes the improved GE-701D engine and provides greater cruising speed, rate of climb, and internal load than the UH-60A and UH-60L versions.The twin-engine UH-60M, the newest model of the Black Hawk family, can serve in extreme conditions, and is designed to replace the older UH-60A.The medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) HH-60M includes an integrated MEDEVAC mission equipment package kit, providing day, night and adverse weather emergency evacuation of casualties.The cockpit avionics of the UH-60M helicopters include multi-function displays; flight management systems; modern flight control computers with fully coupled autopilot; an integrated vehicle health management system with flight data and cockpit voice recorder; inertial navigation systems with embedded global positioning systems; improved data modem; and improved heads-up displays.The UH-60M also has improved rotor blades, modern electronic instruments, flight controls, and aircraft navigation control. It has a zero-vibration system, adaptive flight control laws, advanced fire management, a durable main rotor, crashworthiness and damage-tolerant airframe.Some of the newest models of the UH-60M reportedly have nose-mounted sensors that are part of the helicopter's new Degraded Visual Environment Pilotage System (DVEPS), which helps pilots fly safely through clouds of dust, sand, snow, and fog.It can also fly as fast as 151 knots at altitudes up to 15,180 feet to distances as far as 276 nautical miles between refueling. What's it like to fly?According to one retired military pilot, "It's the most fun you can have without a prescription. It's nimble and intuitive, and most of the workload-saving features (e.g. heading hold) don't get in your way."Without question the Black Hawk isn't leaving the stage anytime soon. It will be serving the Army for years to come.— with files from Military Space
It gained fame for all the wrong reasons.Black Hawk Down is one of the most famous modern day war movies ever made. As accurate as a true story can be, and it showcased America's mighty Black Hawk helicopters, in what some call The Battle of Mogadishu.One of the most reliable and safe helicopters in aviation history.It is capable of missions that range from air assault, aeromedical evacuation, command and control, special operations support and even to patrol the mysterious Area 51 in Nevada.So why is the US Army cutting 157 Black Hawks?While it currently has about 2,135 UH-60s in total, the services hopes to cut its fleet to free up funding for the Bell V-280 Valor — an advanced tiltrotor transport poised to replace many of the Black Hawks.According to Forbes magazine, acquiring the V-280, which was selected for the Army’s Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) requirement, will take some financial commitment. The FLRAA contract award is worth up to US$1.3 billion, US$232 million of which the Army will have ponied up by summer 2024.Exactly how much money the Army will save by these cuts is unknown, but estimates put the total annual cost of Black Hawk helicopter maintenance somewhere north of $1 billion, Forbes reported.The V-280 is intended to eventually move troops and supplies around battlefields — including so-called air-assault missions to deposit ground forces into hostile territory..The Army plans to start equipping its first aviation unit with V-280s in the 2030-2031 timeframe.But it must first prove its reliability — the U.S. military has grounded its entire fleet of V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, after a series of deadly accidents. Some have even labelled it a "death trap."Meanwhile, the service says it will look to retire the oldest Black Hawks in its inventory — UH-60A and UH-60L models — which could represent greater savings since they are likely the highest-time helicopters in the active Army. The importance of the multi-service (Army, Navy, Air Force), internationally-sold UH-60 to Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, is hard to overstate, Forbes reported.In fact, in a press release recognizing the 5,000th UH-60 built in January 2023, a UH-60M for the Army, Sikorsky President Paul Lemmo intoned, “Sikorsky, as a company, has been forged by the Black Hawk.”While there isn’t an official price tag for each UH-60, the different models are estimated to cost between roughly US$7.5 million to US$25 million per copy.Sikorsky expects the Black Hawk to be in front line service another 40-60 years. Acquired by 35 nations, with more to come (Greece, Brazil, Sweden, Croatia and Austria), Sikorsky continues to work closely with the U.S. Army to modernize the H-60M, which will continue to operate well into the 2070s, the company said.Even Ukraine has secretly obtained some Black Hawks, although it isn't really known how..The UH-60M includes the improved GE-701D engine and provides greater cruising speed, rate of climb, and internal load than the UH-60A and UH-60L versions.The twin-engine UH-60M, the newest model of the Black Hawk family, can serve in extreme conditions, and is designed to replace the older UH-60A.The medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) HH-60M includes an integrated MEDEVAC mission equipment package kit, providing day, night and adverse weather emergency evacuation of casualties.The cockpit avionics of the UH-60M helicopters include multi-function displays; flight management systems; modern flight control computers with fully coupled autopilot; an integrated vehicle health management system with flight data and cockpit voice recorder; inertial navigation systems with embedded global positioning systems; improved data modem; and improved heads-up displays.The UH-60M also has improved rotor blades, modern electronic instruments, flight controls, and aircraft navigation control. It has a zero-vibration system, adaptive flight control laws, advanced fire management, a durable main rotor, crashworthiness and damage-tolerant airframe.Some of the newest models of the UH-60M reportedly have nose-mounted sensors that are part of the helicopter's new Degraded Visual Environment Pilotage System (DVEPS), which helps pilots fly safely through clouds of dust, sand, snow, and fog.It can also fly as fast as 151 knots at altitudes up to 15,180 feet to distances as far as 276 nautical miles between refueling. What's it like to fly?According to one retired military pilot, "It's the most fun you can have without a prescription. It's nimble and intuitive, and most of the workload-saving features (e.g. heading hold) don't get in your way."Without question the Black Hawk isn't leaving the stage anytime soon. It will be serving the Army for years to come.— with files from Military Space
