Sikorsky delivers 5,000th Hawk variant helicopter
24th Jan 2023 | In News | By Michael Tyrrell
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, has delivered its 5,000th Hawk variant helicopter, a US Army UH-60M Black Hawk.
The 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. “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 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 US Army, the largest Black Hawk operator, noted the key role the aircraft continues to fulfil during military and civil operations around the world, in addition to its significant contribution towards Joint All Domain Operations.
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.
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.”
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