Swedish Air Force Extends Black Hawk Helicopter Range Capacity.

On July 31, 2024, the Swedish Air Force, Svenska flygvapnet, announced a major advancement in enhancing its aerial capabilities by extending the range of its UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters (designated HKP 16 in national service) by 50%. This decision follows a series of lessons learned (RETEX) from operations conducted in Mali in 2021, as part of the Takuba mission integrated into the Barkhane force.
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Swedish Air Force UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter (Picture source: Swedish Air Force)

In March 2021, three UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters were deployed to Mali to support European special forces. It became apparent during this mission that the range of these aircraft was insufficient to cover the vast distances of the Sahel operational zones. Although Sweden is no longer involved in operations in the Sahel, the lessons learned from this mission prompted the Swedish military leadership to seek solutions to increase the range of its helicopters.

The chosen solution involves adding an auxiliary fuel tank of 750 liters, approximately 200 US gallons. While this modification reduces the helicopters' cargo capacity, it significantly increases their operational range in combat configuration, initially 590 km.

“This is a large-scale project that would not have been possible without excellent cooperation between the military leadership, the helicopter squadron, the Defense Materiel Administration [FMV – Försvarets materielverk], and the American supplier Sikorsky,” said Per Johnsson, the technical director of the "Helikopter 16" project (the local designation for the Black Hawk). “Several helicopters have already been modified. They have used the additional fuel tank with good results. We are now completing the work for the entire fleet,” he added.

These modifications will give the Swedish Air Force “greater freedom of action,” according to Mr. Johnsson.

The US Army also participated in this project by sending personnel to Sweden to adapt the country's helicopters to the new auxiliary tank. “All HKP 16s in the Swedish Armed Forces are adapted to be able to use an extra fuel tank that can be mounted in the cabin if necessary,” the SwAF stated, adding, “The modification has been ongoing since autumn 2023 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.”

To recall, the Svenska flygvapnet acquired 15 UH-60M Black Hawks in 2011 to address a capacity shortfall during operations in Afghanistan, pending the service entry of its 18 NH-90 helicopters. However, due to availability issues and high operating costs of the NH-90s, Swedish Chief of Staff General Micael Bydén decided to expand the Black Hawk fleet. This decision was recently realized with an order for 12 additional units, amounting to approximately $900 million.

With this increase in the range capability of its UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, Sweden enhances its operational potential and its ability to respond swiftly to international security challenges.