UH-60 Blackhawk
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UH-60 Blackhawk medium size utility helicopter
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The UH-60 Black Hawk is a utility tactical transport helicopter that replaces the UH-1 "Huey". The UH-60 is designed and manufactured by the American Company Sikorsky. The first production aircraft (UH-60A) was flown in October of 1978 with the US Army taking delivery of its first Black Hawk in that same month. A total of 1,048 UH-60As were built for the US Army between 1978 and 1989, when production of the UH-60L was initiated. All existing UH-60As have either been rebuilt to the UH-60L standard or have been removed from service. The UH-60 Black Hawk, developed by Sikorsky, has been operational in the US Army since 1978, and variants of the Black Hawk are operational or have been ordered by 25 international customers: the Argentine Air Force, Royal Australian Army, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Colombian Air Force, Egypt, Greece, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan Self Defence Force, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, People's Republic of China, Royal Saudi Land Forces Army Aviation Command, the Turkish police, Spain, The Philippine Air Force, Taiwan, and Thailand. |
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- YUH-60A: The initial test and evaluation version. First flight on 17 October 1974; three built.
- UH-60A BlackHawk: Original U.S. Army version, carrying a crew of four and up to 11 equipped troops. Equipped with T700-GE-700 engines. Produced 1977–1989. U.S. Army is equipping UH-60As with more powerful T700-GE-701D engines and also upgrading A-models to UH-60L standard. - UH-60C BlackHawk: Modified version for Command and control (C2) missions. - CH-60E: Proposed troop transport variant for the U.S. Marine Corps. - UH-60L BlackHawk: UH-60A with upgraded T700-GE-701C engines, improved durability gearbox, and updated flight control system. Produced 1989–2007. UH-60Ls are also being equipped with the GE T700-GE-701D engine. - UH-60M BlackHawk: Improved design wide chord rotor blades, T700-GE-701D engines (max 2,000 shp or 1,500 kW each), improved durability gearbox, Integrated Vehicle Management Systems (IVHMS) computer, and new glass cockpit. Production began in 2006. Planned to replace older U.S. Army UH-60s. - UH-60M Upgrade BlackHawk: UH-60M with fly-by-wire system and Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit suite. Flight testing began in August 2008. - EH-60A BlackHawk: UH-60A with modified electrical system and stations for two electronic systems mission operators. All examples of type have been converted back to standard UH-60A configuration. - YEH-60B BlackHawk: UH-60A modified for special radar and avionics installations, prototype for stand-off target acquisition system. - EH-60C BlackHawk: UH-60A modified with special electronics equipment and external antenna. (All examples of type have been taken back to standard UH-60A configuration.) - EUH-60L (no official name assigned): UH-60L modified with additional mission electronic equipment for Army Airborne C2. - EH-60L BlackHawk: EH-60A with major mission equipment upgrade. - UH-60Q Black Hawk: UH-60A modified for medical evacuation. The UH-60Q is named DUSTOFF for "dedicated unhesitating service to our fighting forces". - HH-60L (no official name assigned): UH-60L extensively modified with medical mission equipment. Components include an external rescue hoist, integrated patient configuration system, environmental control system, on-board oxygen system (OBOGS), and crashworthy ambulatory seats. - HH-60M BlackHawk: U.S. Army variant. UH-60M with medical mission equipment (medevac version). - MH-60A BlackHawk: U.S. Army variant. 30 UH-60As modified with additional avionics, night vision capable cockpit, FLIR, M134 door guns, internal axillary fuel tanks and other Special Operations mission equipment in early 1980s. Equipped with T700-GE-701 engines. Variant was used by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The MH-60As were replaced by MH-60Ls beginning in the early 1990s and passed to the Air National Guard. - MH-60K BlackHawk: U.S. Army variant. Special operations modification first ordered in 1988 for use by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers"). Equipped with the in-flight refueling probe,[89] and T700-GE-701C engines. More advanced than MH-60L, the K-model also includes an integrated avionics system (glass cockpit), AN/APQ-174B terrain-following radar, color weather map generator, improved weapons capability, and various defensive systems. - MH-60L BlackHawk: U.S. Army variant. Special operations modification, used by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers"), based on the UH-60L with T700-701C engines. It was developed as an interim version in the late 1980s pending fielding of the MH-60K. Equipped with many of the systems used on MH-60K, including FLIR, terrain-following radar, color weather map generator, auxiliary fuel system, and laser rangefinder/designator. A total of 37 MH-60Ls were built and some 10 had received an in-flight refueling probe by 2003. - MH-60L Direct Action Penetrator (DAP): U.S. Army variant. Special operations modification of the baseline MH-60L, operated by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. The DAP is configured as a gunship, with no troop-carrying capacity. The DAP is equipped with ESSS or ETS stub wings, each capable of carrying configurations of the M230 Chain Gun 30 mm automatic cannon, 19-shot Hydra 70 rocket pod, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, GAU-19 gun pods, and M134 minigun pods. M134D miniguns are used as door guns. - MH-60M BlackHawk: U.S. Army variant. Special operations version of UH-60M. Features the Rockwell Collins Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) glass cockpit and more powerful YT706-GE-700 engines. All special operations Black Hawks to be moderized to MH-60M standard by 2015. - MH-60 Black Hawk stealth helicopter: One of two (known) specially modified MH-60s used in the raid on Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan on 1 May 2011 was damaged in a hard landing, and was subsequently destroyed by U.S. forces. Subsequent reports state that the Black Hawk destroyed was a previously unconfirmed, but rumored, modification of the design with reduced noise signature and stealth technology. The modifications are said to add several hundred pounds to the base helicopter including edge alignment panels, special coatings and anti-radar treatments for the windshields. - UH-60A RASCAL: NASA-modified version for the Rotorcraft-Aircrew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory; a US$25M program for the study of helicopter maneuverability in three programs, Superaugmented Controls for Agile Maneuvering Performance (SCAMP), Automated Nap-of-the-Earth (ANOE) and Rotorcraft Agility and Pilotage Improvement Demonstration (RAPID). The UH-60A RASCAL performed a fully autonomous flight on 5 November 2012. U.S. Army personnel were on board, but the flying was done by the helicopter. During a two-hour flight, the Black Hawk featured terrain sensing, trajectory generation, threat avoidance, and autonomous flight control. It was fitted with a 3D-LZ laser detection and ranging (LADAR) system. The autonomous flight was performed between 200 and 400 feet. Upon landing, the onboard technology was able to pinpoint a safe landing zone, hover, and safely bring itself down. - VH-60D Night Hawk: USMC variant. VIP-configured HH-60D, used for Presidential transport. T700-GE-401C engines. Variant was later redesignated VH-60N. - VH-60N White Hawk: USMC variant. Modified UH-60A with some features from the SH-60B/F Seahawks. It is used for Presidential and VIP transport. It entered service in 1988 and nine were delivered. |
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| Design | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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The UH-60 Black Hawk is a twin-engine medium lift utility helicopter. It is equipped with a single 4-bladed rotor and a single 4-bladed tail rotor. The basic crew compliment for the UH-60A is three; pilot, co-pilot, and crew chief. The titanium cored rotor blades are resistant to AAA (anti-aircraft artillery) fire up to 23mm and are equipped with pressurized sensors capable of detecting loss of rotor pressurization (damage.) The A model was designed to carry 11 combat troops in addition to an crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, crew chief) and was intended to serve in utility, air assault, medevac, command and control, and reconnaissance roles. The Army began converting Black Hawks to the medevac role in 1981. The UH-60A utilizes a dragging tail wheel landing gear system, with two non-movable main gear struts, and a rotating lockable tail wheel assembly. For operations in arctic environments, the Black Hawk can be fitted with landing skis. The UH-60A is equipped with troop accommodations for eight, which can be removed to accommodate four full-sized medical litters. The Black Hawk can transport 11 fully equipped combat soldiers in an assault ready configuration, or 14 in a maximum capacity situation. Maximum troop carrying capacity is 20 lightly equipped personnel. The dedicated medevac variant of the Black Hawk can accommodate 6 litters.
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Avionics and equipment
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The UH-60A is equipped with VHF-FM, UHF-FM, and VHF-AM/FM radios, as well as encrypted IFF recognition system. For self-defense the Black Hawk is equipped with an AN/APR-39 (v) 1 radar warning receiver, as well as an AN/ALQ-144 infrared countermeasures system and chaff/flare dispenser.
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Propulsion
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The UH-60A is equipped with two General Electric T700-GE-701 turboshaft engines rated at 1,560 shaft horsepower each. Internal fuel is stored in two crashworthy fuel tanks and totals 360 gallons. If ESSS equipped, the Black Hawk can carry two 230-gallon external tanks, and can carry up to two additional auxiliary 185-gal. internally in the cargo compartment. The Black Hawk is capable of flying on one engine.
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The UH-60A can be fitted with two pintle mounts (one each located on either side of the airframe aft of the flight deck.) These pintles are capable of accepting a variety of weapons, to include the M-60 GP 7.62mm machine gun, the M-240 7.62mm machine gun, the .50 caliber GAU-19/A machine gun, as well as the General Electric M134 7.62mm 6-barreled minigun. Utilizing the ESSS system, the UH-60A can equip up to 16 Hellfire missiles, as well as 2.75" FFAR (folding fin aerial rocket) rocket pods, FIM-92 Stinger anti-air missiles, as well as aerial mine delivery systems, such as the volcano and the M56 mine delivery system.
Guns: - 2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M240H machine guns - 2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M134 minigun - 2 × .50 in (12.7 mm) GAU-19 gatling guns Hardpoints: 4, 2 per ESSS stub wings and provisions to carry combinations of rockets Rockets: - 70 mm (2.75 in) Hydra 70 rockets Missiles: AGM-114 Hellfire laser guided missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles Bombs: - Can be equipped with VOLCANO minefield dispersal system.[131] See UH-60 Armament Subsystems for more information. |
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