Israel hosts joint training exercise with Cyprus and United Kingdom.

According to a tweet published by the Israeli Air Force on April 3, 2022, the IAF hosted a joint training exercise with the British Royal Air Force and Cyprus Air Command at Palmachim AFB. The exercise, which included Israeli Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, allowed the participating forces to learn from each other and drill maritime Search and Rescue missions in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

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 Israeli Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, on the right. (Picture source: IAF)

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) competition in 1972.

The UH-60 features four-blade main and tail rotors and is powered by two General Electric T700 turboshaft engines. The main rotor is fully articulated and has elastomeric bearings in the rotor head. The tail rotor is canted and features a rigid crossbeam.

The helicopter has a long, low profile shape to meet the Army's requirement for transporting aboard a C-130 Hercules, with some disassembly. It can carry 11 troops with equipment, and lift 2,600 pounds (1,200 kg) of cargo internally or 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) of cargo (for UH-60L/M) externally by a sling.

The UH-60 can be equipped with stub wings at the top of the fuselage to carry fuel tanks or various armaments. The initial stub wing system is called External Stores Support System (ESSS). It has two pylons on each wing to carry two 230 US gal (870 L) and two 450 US gal (1,700 L) tanks in total.