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Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

Sikorsky (Lockheed Martin) · Utility / Transport Helicopter · USA · Cold War (1970–1991)

Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk — Utility / Transport Helicopter
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The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is an American twin-engine, four-blade utility helicopter designed by Sikorsky Aircraft (now Lockheed Martin Sikorsky) and produced from 1978 to the present. With over 5,000 airframes built across all variants and operated by the U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy (as the SH-60 Seahawk variant), U.S. Coast Guard, and 32 foreign nations, the Black Hawk is the principal Western utility / assault helicopter and one of the most-produced rotary-wing aircraft in history.

The UH-60A entered U.S. Army service on 19 June 1979, replacing the Vietnam-era UH-1 Iroquois ("Huey") in the air-mobile assault role. Sikorsky won the U.S. Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) competition (1972-1976) over Boeing-Vertol's YUH-61. Two General Electric T700-GE-700 turboshaft engines (1,560 shp each on UH-60A; 1,890 shp T700-GE-701D on UH-60M) power a four-blade main rotor and tail rotor. The Black Hawk seats two pilots plus 11 fully-equipped infantry (or 14 in light scale), with capacity for an internal cargo load of 8,000 lb or external sling load of 9,000 lb. The aircraft has crashworthy fuel tanks, structural redundancy, and ballistic-tolerant rotor blades — reflecting hard lessons learned from Vietnam-era helicopter losses.

The Black Hawk family has spawned numerous variants. The U.S. Army uses UH-60A / UH-60L / UH-60M (M is the current production standard) for assault transport; the special-operations community uses MH-60M / MH-60L / MH-60K for direct-action insertion / extraction; the U.S. Navy uses the SH-60B / SH-60F / MH-60R / MH-60S Seahawk variants for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, and search-and-rescue from naval vessels; the U.S. Air Force uses HH-60G / HH-60W Pave Hawk / Jolly Green II for combat search-and-rescue; the U.S. Coast Guard uses MH-60T Jayhawk for SAR; the Marine Corps uses VH-60N for Marine One presidential transport.

The Black Hawk has been deployed in combat continuously since Operation Just Cause (Panama 1989). Major operations include Desert Shield / Storm (1990-1991, MEDEVAC), Operation Restore Hope (Somalia, 1992-1995 — including the Battle of Mogadishu / 'Black Hawk Down' incident, 3-4 October 1993), Operation Allied Force (Kosovo 1999), Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan, 2001-2021 including the May 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden), Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003-2011), and ongoing CENTCOM, EUCOM, and Indo-Pacific operations. Foreign operators span 32 nations including Saudi Arabia (90+ UH-60M / UH-60L), Israel (50+), Australia (24 MRH-90 cancelled in favour of 40 UH-60M ordered 2024), the Republic of Korea, Japan, Brazil, Philippines, Greece, Turkey, and the UK (S-70 variants). Approximately 4,500 Black Hawks remain in active service worldwide in 2026; production at Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut facility continues at ~80-100 airframes per year.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The UH-60 Black Hawk is the U.S. Army's main helicopter for carrying soldiers. It replaced the famous Vietnam-era Huey starting in 1979. The Black Hawk is about 65 feet long — longer than a school bus — and can carry 11 soldiers plus crew, plus weapons hanging on the sides.

The Black Hawk has two big jet engines on top, four blades on the main rotor, and small wheels for landing. Two pilots fly the helicopter side-by-side. Each Black Hawk can carry up to 11 fully-equipped soldiers in the cabin behind the pilots, plus 2 door gunners with machine guns.

Sikorsky has built over 5,000 Black Hawks since 1974. The U.S. Army has about 2,000 — the largest helicopter fleet in the world. About 30 other countries also fly Black Hawks: Australia, Japan, Israel, Turkey, South Korea, and many more.

There are many specialized versions: the Navy's SH-60 Seahawk for ships, the Air Force's HH-60 Pave Hawk for rescues, and the Marines' VH-60 carrying the President.

Black Hawks have flown in every American war since 1989. The Black Hawks of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (the "Night Stalkers") carried the SEAL team that defeated Osama bin Laden in May 2011. A modified stealth Black Hawk was used for the raid; one was lost when it landed too hard. The famous movie Black Hawk Down (2001) tells the story of a Black Hawk mission gone wrong in Somalia in 1993.

Fun Facts

  • The UH-60 Black Hawk replaced the famous Huey starting in 1979.
  • Each Black Hawk can carry 11 fully-equipped soldiers plus two door gunners.
  • Sikorsky has built over 5,000 Black Hawks since 1974 — making it one of the most-built helicopters ever.
  • The U.S. Army has about 2,000 Black Hawks — the world's largest helicopter fleet.
  • 30+ countries fly Black Hawks — including Australia, Japan, Israel, Turkey, and South Korea.
  • A stealth Black Hawk was used in the 2011 mission that defeated Osama bin Laden.
  • The U.S. President's helicopter (Marine One) is a VH-60 Black Hawk.

Kids’ Questions

What is Marine One?

Marine One is the call sign of any U.S. Marine Corps helicopter carrying the President. The actual helicopter is a special VH-60 Black Hawk or a bigger VH-3 Sea King, painted dark green on top and white on the bottom — the same colors as Air Force One. Two identical Marine One helicopters fly with the President at all times: one carries the real President, while the other flies decoy. The President's helicopter is faster, quieter, and more bulletproof than a regular Black Hawk. It carries the President from the White House lawn to nearby places like Camp David or Andrews Air Force Base.

What happened in Black Hawk Down?

In October 1993, U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force soldiers flew Black Hawks into Mogadishu, Somalia, to capture warlords. During the mission, two Black Hawks were lost to enemy rocket-propelled grenades. American soldiers stayed on the ground all night defending the crash sites and rescuing each other. 18 American soldiers and 1 Malaysian peacekeeper lost their lives; hundreds of Somalis also died. The story became a 1999 book and 2001 movie called Black Hawk Down. The mission changed how the U.S. military fights in cities and how helicopter pilots are trained to escape ground fire.

Variants

UH-60A / UH-60L
Original / improved U.S. Army variants. T700-GE-700 (UH-60A) or T700-GE-701C (UH-60L) engines. Backbone of U.S. Army utility-helicopter fleet from 1979 to ~2010. Most upgraded to UH-60M or retired.
UH-60M
Current production U.S. Army variant. T700-GE-701D engines (1,890 shp), composite-rotor blades, glass cockpit, improved transmission, increased gross weight (22,000 lb). ~1,500+ delivered to U.S. Army; export operators include Saudi Arabia, Korea, Australia, Mexico, Brazil, others.
SH-60B / SH-60F / MH-60R / MH-60S Seahawk
Naval variants for U.S. Navy. SH-60B (anti-submarine warfare from frigates / destroyers, retired 2015), SH-60F (carrier-based ASW, retired 2015), MH-60R (current ASW variant, ~280 in U.S. Navy), MH-60S (utility / SAR / vertical replenishment, ~270). Primary helicopter for U.S. Navy surface-fleet operations.
HH-60G / HH-60W Pave Hawk / Jolly Green II
Combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) variants for U.S. Air Force. HH-60G Pave Hawk (~100 active); replaced by HH-60W Jolly Green II from 2020 (113 ordered for USAF Special Operations Command + Air Combat Command).
VH-60N (Marine One) / MH-60M / MH-60T Jayhawk
VH-60N: presidential transport (Marine One supplementary, ~10 airframes). MH-60M / MH-60L / MH-60K: U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation variants for direct-action missions (~75 in 160th SOAR "Night Stalkers"). MH-60T Jayhawk: U.S. Coast Guard SAR variant (~36).

Notable Operators

United States Army
Largest operator with ~2,400 UH-60A / UH-60L / UH-60M airframes plus ~75 MH-60 special-operations variants. Backbone of U.S. Army Combat Aviation Brigades. Operating units include the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), 82nd Airborne Division, 160th SOAR (Night Stalkers).
United States Navy / U.S. Coast Guard / U.S. Air Force
USN: ~550 MH-60R / MH-60S Seahawk in fleet operations. USCG: ~36 MH-60T Jayhawk for SAR. USAF: ~100 HH-60G / HH-60W Pave Hawk / Jolly Green II for combat search-and-rescue.
Foreign export operators
Saudi Arabia (90+ UH-60M / UH-60L), Republic of Korea (60+), Israel (50+), Japan (40+ UH-60J / SH-60K), Brazil (16+), Australia (40 UH-60M ordered 2024), Greece (12), Mexico (24), Philippines (32), Taiwan (60), Sweden, Slovakia, Tunisia, Latvia, Turkey, Egypt, etc. — 32 operator nations.
Production / future
Production at Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut facility continues at ~80-100 airframes per year. Major outstanding orders include Australia (~36 remaining of 40 ordered 2024), Korea (additional 24 ordered 2025), Saudi Arabia (continuing UH-60M deliveries), and U.S. Army (UH-60M re-manufacturing of older airframes).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is 'Black Hawk Down'?

The Battle of Mogadishu (3-4 October 1993) — a U.S. military operation in Mogadishu, Somalia, in which two MH-60L Black Hawks from the 160th SOAR (Night Stalkers) were shot down by RPG fire. 18 U.S. soldiers were killed and 73 were wounded; an unknown number of Somali militia members and civilians were killed (estimates range 300-1,500). The battle led to the U.S. withdrawal from Somalia and influenced subsequent U.S. policy on intervention. The 1999 Mark Bowden book "Black Hawk Down" and 2001 Ridley Scott film of the same name documented the events. The incident did not result in any major changes to Black Hawk design — RPG vulnerabilities in low-altitude urban warfare are inherent to all attack and utility helicopters.

How does the Black Hawk compare to the Huey?

The Black Hawk replaces the UH-1 Iroquois ("Huey"). Major differences: twin-engine vs single-engine (better survivability), larger payload (11 troops + crew vs Huey's 9), greater range, more crashworthy fuel tanks, ballistic-tolerant rotor blades, upgraded avionics, and higher mission-readiness rates. The Huey served in Vietnam (~7,000 airframes deployed); the Black Hawk has served in every U.S. operation since 1989. The Huey was definitively retired from U.S. Army service by 2014; many remain in foreign service.

What replaced the Black Hawk?

Currently nothing in U.S. Army service — the UH-60M is the latest production variant and continues. The U.S. Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) programme selected the Bell V-280 Valor tiltrotor in December 2022 to replace the UH-60 Black Hawk in the assault role from approximately 2030 onwards. The V-280 will offer dramatically increased speed (Mach 0.5+ vs UH-60M's 162 mph) and range. UH-60M production will continue alongside V-280 fielding through the 2030s and 2040s.

How does the Black Hawk compare to the Apache?

Different roles. The Black Hawk is a utility / assault helicopter (transport of troops, cargo, casualties); the AH-64 Apache is a dedicated attack helicopter. They typically operate together in U.S. Army Combat Aviation Brigades — Black Hawks transport infantry to objectives while Apaches provide aerial fire support. The two airframes share the General Electric T700 engine family but are otherwise different aircraft. The Black Hawk has more passenger capacity but less weapons; the Apache has dedicated fire-control radar and weapons but no troop capacity.

How many Black Hawks have been built?

Over 5,000 Black Hawk-family airframes built since 1978 across all variants — UH-60 (utility), SH-60 / MH-60 (naval / Seahawk), HH-60 (CSAR), MH-60M / MH-60L / MH-60K (Special Operations), VH-60N (presidential transport), plus dedicated export variants for 32 foreign operators. The Black Hawk is one of the most-produced rotary-wing aircraft in history. Production continues at ~80-100 airframes per year at Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut facility.

Which Black Hawk was used in the bin Laden raid?

Two MH-60M Stealth Black Hawks of the 160th SOAR were used in Operation Neptune Spear (1-2 May 2011, Abbottabad, Pakistan) that killed Osama bin Laden. The MH-60Ms were specially-modified for low-radar-signature operations — a form of stealth-helicopter modification including radar-absorbing-material panels, tail-rotor sound-suppression, and additional aerodynamic fairings. One of the two MH-60Ms suffered a hard landing during the raid (likely related to local Coandă effect from the compound walls), was damaged beyond recovery, and was destroyed by U.S. forces before extraction. The tail-rotor section was photographed by Pakistani forces and provided rare public documentation of stealth-helicopter design.

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