Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
For the non-specialised press, helicopters generally lack the ‘stealthy’, ‘sexy’, or ‘smart’ characteristics deemed necessary to sell papers and fill television programmes. Yet as the winner of its UTTAS competition.
The first production Black Hawk flew on 17 October 1978. The selection of the name Black Hawk does not follow the Army’s tradition of naming its aircraft after Indian tribes, as Black Hawk is not the name of a tribe but is that of the leader of the Fox and Sauk Indians during the Black Hawk War in 1832.
Deliveries to the US Army began on 31 October 1978 and, following service trials and initial training of crews at Fort Rucker, Alabama, and maintenance personnel at Fort Eustis, Virginia, UH-60As entered service with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in June 1979, when four aircraft were delivered for Force Development Test and Experimentation at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
Although nominally carrying the same design load (a crew of three and 11 combat-equipped troops) as the UH-1H, the UH-60A can accommodate 20 lightly-equipped troops and carry heavier external loads (3630 kilograms versus 2000 kilograms) than the type it was designed to replace. Moreover, the UH-60A quickly proved to be a far more capable combat helicopter than the UH-1H, as it has enhanced crash and enemy fire survivability. It also has much better overall performance, particularly under ‘hot-and-high’ conditions.
With the addition of External Stores Support System (ESSS) shoulder-mounted/fuselage-braced wings to carry either fuel tanks or weapons, the fitting of a Hover Infra-Red Suppressor Subsystem (HIRSS) to cool engine exhaust and reduce infra-red detectability, the arrival of the more powerful UH-60L variant and the installation of upgraded counter measures systems, the Black Hawk has evolved into the world’s leading utility helicopter. Combat-proven in Grenada during Operation Urgent Fury in October 1983 and in Panama during Operation Just Cause in December 1989, the Black Hawk achieved conspicuous successes during the Gulf War. It confounded the critics who thought that it would be difficult to maintain under desert conditions, and the mission capable rate – which had been around the 75 per cent rate prior to the start of combat operations – rose to above 85 per cent once the fighting started. Moreover, the Black Hawk has achieved significant success on the export market in spite of the availability of cheaper, but less capable, utility helicopters, and it has hatched a family of derivatives for a variety of military and naval applications. Even more remarkable is the fact that these derivatives have in turn set standards which remain unmatched in their fields.
UH-BOA derivatives have been proposed or built for the US Army to fulfil a variety of roles, including the original assault transport mission(UH-60A with ESSS stub wings, 1.3H-60A Enhanced with upgraded self-defensearmament and passive defensive systems, UH-60L, UH-60M,
UH-601), electronic warfare (EH-60A, YEH-60B and EH-60C) and special operations (MH-60A. NIH-(i0L and N1H-601:).
Naval derivatives
Naval derivatives of the UH-60A include LAMPS/ASW variants and search and rescue versions (HH-(i0H for the USN and HH-60J for the USCG): of these have received special anti-corrosion treatment for extended operations at sea. In the 1″ANIPS (Light Airborne NIulti-Purpose System) role, the SH-0013 has greatly increased US Navy anti-submarine warfare capability. It carries two ASVV torpedoes and 25 sonobuoys. and has expanded sensor capability. computer-based data handling and analysis and increased ship/air tactical integration via a directional data-link. However, the Seahmyk cannot operate from smaller ships and therefore must he regarded as complementing rather than replacing the Kaman SH-2F Seasprite in the LANIPS role.
Specialised Hawks
UH-60 derivatives have also been developed for the USAF for use in the combat/search and rescue and special operations roles. In these roles. the HII/MH-60 variants have been found to he somewhat wanting, as have their naval counterparts (HH-60F and HH-601). when compared with the
helicopters they replaced. Although their performance and reliability are far superior to those of the older machines. with their pilots being quick to praise their ample power reserve which greatly eases refuelling frown tanker-configured HC/MC-130s. the 111.I/MH-60s have a much smaller internal volume (particularly when auxiliary tanks are fitted in the cabin) and are unable to land on water. Para- rescue personnel prefer the ° old Pelicans. Jolly Greens and Super Jollies to the Javhawks and Pave Hawks. as their low cabin ceiling makes suiting-up more difficult and long flights to the rescue more tiring.
The future of the series appears to be secure for several years with the US Army. The US Air Force and the US Navy, respectively. having formulated procurement plans for 168 UH-(iOLs and MH-(OKs, 20 MH-60G/HH-60Gs. 88 SH-60B/Fs and HH-6OHs during 1991-1993, while the Japanese Maritime Self-DefenseForce will order 36 additional SH-60Js as part of the Japanese Mid-term DefenseBuild-up Programme (1991-1995). Additional export orders are also likely to materialise. and by 31 March 1992 Sikorsky had delivered some 1.600 H-60/S-70s.
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