Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_UH-60_Black_Hawk

The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility
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 Army designated the prototype as the YUH-60A and
selected the Black Hawk as the winner of the program in 1976, after a fly-off
competition with the Boeing Vertol YUH-61.

Named after the Native American war leader Black Hawk, the UH-60A entered
service with the U.S. Army in 1979, to replace the Bell UH-1 Iroquois as the
Army's tactical transport helicopter. This was followed by the fielding of
electronic warfare and special operations variants of the Black Hawk. Improved
UH-60L and UH-60M utility variants have also been developed. Modified versions
have also been developed for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. In
addition to U.S. Army use, the UH-60 family has been exported to several
nations. Black Hawks have served in combat during conflicts in Grenada, Panama,
Iraq, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and other areas in the Middle East.

After entering service, the helicopter was modified for new missions and roles,
including mine laying and medical evacuation. An EH-60 variant was developed to
conduct electronic warfare and special operations aviation developed the MH-60
variant to support its missions.

Due to weight increases from the addition of mission equipment and other
changes, the Army ordered the improved UH-60L in 1987. The new model
incorporated all of the modifications made to the UH-60A fleet as standard
design features. The UH-60L also featured more power and lifting capability with
upgraded T700-GE-701C engines and a stronger gearbox, both developed for the
SH-60B Seahawk. Its external lift capacity increased by 1,000 lb (450 kg) up to
9,000 lb (4,100 kg). The UH-60L also incorporated the automatic flight control
system (AFCS) from the SH-60 for better flight control due to handling issues
with the more powerful engines. Production of the L-model began in 1989.

Development of the next improved variant, the UH-60M, was approved in 2001, to
extend the service life of the UH-60 design into the 2020s. The UH-60M
incorporates upgraded T700-GE-701D engines, improved rotor blades, and state of
the art electronic instrumentation, flight controls and aircraft navigation
control. After the U.S. DoD approved low-rate initial production of the new
variant, manufacturing began in 2006, with the first of 22 new UH-60Ms delivered
in July 2006. After an initial operational evaluation, the Army approved
full-rate production and a five-year contract for 1,227 helicopters in December
2007. By March 2009, 100 UH-60M helicopters had been delivered to the Army. In
November 2014, US military ordered 102 aircraft of various H-60 types, worth
$1.3 billion.


Role
Utility helicopter

Manufacturer
Sikorsky Aircraft

First flight
17 October 1974

Introduction
1979

Status
In service

Primary users
United States Army
Japan Self Defense Forces
Colombian Armed Forces
Republic of Korea Armed Forces

Produced
1974–present

Number built
about 4,000

Unit cost

UH-60: US$21.3 million (avg. U.S. procurement, 2012)


Developed from
Sikorsky S-70

Variants
Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk
Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk
Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawk
Mitsubishi H-60

The UH-60 entered service with the U.S. Army's 101st Combat Aviation Brigade of
the 101st Airborne Division in June 1979. The U.S. military first used the UH-60
in combat during the invasion of Grenada in 1983, and again in the invasion of
Panama in 1989. During the Gulf War in 1991, the UH-60 participated in the
largest air assault mission in U.S. Army history with over 300 helicopters
involved. Two UH-60s (89-26214 and 78-23015) were shot down, both on 27 February
1991, while performing Combat Search and Rescue of other downed aircrews, an
F-16C pilot and the crew of a MEDEVAC UH-1H that were shot down earlier that
day.

In 1993, Black Hawks featured prominently in the assault on Mogadishu in
Somalia. Black Hawks also saw action in the Balkans and Haiti in the 1990s. U.S.
Army UH-60s and other helicopters conducted many air assault and other support
missions during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The UH-60 has continued to serve in
operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Specifications (UH-60L)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 pilots (flight crew) with 2 crew chiefs/gunners
Capacity: 2,640 lb (1,200 kg) of cargo internally, including 11 troops or 6
stretchers, or 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) (UH-60L) of cargo externally
Length: 64 ft 10 in (19.76 m)
Fuselage length: 50 ft 1 in (15.27 m)
Fuselage width: 7 ft 9 in (2.36 m))
Rotor diameter: 53 ft 8 in (16.36 m)
Height: 16 ft 10 in (5.13 m)
Disc area: 2,260 ft² (210 m²)
Empty weight: 10,624 lb (4,819 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 23,500 lb (10,660 kg)
Rotational speed: Engine 20,900 RPM, main rotor 258 RPM (gear ratio 81:1)
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric T700-GE-701C turboshaft, 1,890 hp (1,410 kW)
each

Performance
Never exceed speed: 193 knots (222 mph; 357 km/h)
Maximum speed: 159 kn (183 mph; 294 km/h)
Cruise speed: 150 kn (170 mph; 280 km/h)
Combat radius: 368 mi (320 nmi; 592 km)
Ferry range: 1,380 mi (1,200 nmi; 2,220 km) with ESSS stub wings and external
tanks
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft (5,790 m)
Rate of climb: 1,315 ft/min (4.5 m/s)
Disc loading: 7.19 lb/ft² (35.4 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.192 hp/lb (158 W/kg)

Armament

Guns:
2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M240 machine guns
2 × 7.62 mm (0.30 in) M134 minigun or
2 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) GAU-19 gatling guns

Hardpoints: 4, 2 per ESSS stub wings and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 70 mm (2.75 in) Hydra 70 rockets
Missiles: AGM-114 Hellfire laser guided missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air
missiles
Other: 7.62 mm (0.30 in), 12.7 mm (0.50 in), 20 mm (0.787 in), or 30 mm (1.18
in) M230 gun pods

Bombs: Can be equipped with VOLCANO minefield dispersal system. See UH-60
Armament Subsystems for more information.




*