A UH-60V Black Hawk helicopter is parked on Muir Army Airfield for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new variant on October 6, 2021. Photo: Brad Rhen/US Army
AIRAMERICASARMSTECHNOLOGY
US
Army Unveils Upgraded UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter
The army’s Utility Helicopter Program Office delivered
the aircraft to the EAATS in late July, making it the first unit equipped with
the Black Hawk UH-60V. The aviation school’s pilot instructors have been
training on the aircraft since their arrival.
Black Hawk Upgrade
The Sikorsky UH-60V is an upgrade on
the UH-60 L model, which entered service in 1989 to replace the original UH-A
first deployed 11 years ago.
According to the army, the UH-60 V’s upgraded cockpit
has similar features and capabilities to the UH-60 M model, with a certified
GPS (global positioning system) RNAV (random navigation) database, advanced
flight planning, and mission capabilities.
The service added that the “updated cockpit increases
a pilot’s situational awareness while reducing the workload, resulting in a
more capable and safer aviation platform.” Moreover, the UH-60V was the first
US Army aircraft with open system architecture.
Test
pilot and pilot instructor for EAATS Chief Warrant Officer 5 Jake Russell shared his experiences of
the UH-60V. “Whether using the GPS navigation capability in the national
airspace system or flying tactical routes in the battlespace, the UH-60V’s
integrated avionics package provides the necessary information for safe and
efficient mission execution.”
In-House Upgrade
Highlighting the importance of the program, Army
Program Officer-Aviation Brig. Gen. Robert Barrie called
it the army’s “first real opportunity to upgrade its current helicopter
platforms apart from their original manufacturers.”
“In order for us to bring capability onto this
platform, it necessitated a significant investment both in dollars and time,”
Barrie said.
“And because our threat is evolving faster than we
are, and because our dollars are limited, it was absolutely essential that we
find a way to bring capability onto our platforms more affordable and more
rapidly, and that’s what this platform is the first of our ability to do.”
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