https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_UH-60_Black_Hawk
see also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikorsky_MH-60_Jayhawk
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.
In the late 1960s, the United States Army began forming requirements for a
helicopter to replace the UH-1 Iroquois, and designated the program as the
Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS). The Army also initiated the
development of a new, common turbine engine for its helicopters that would
become the General Electric T700. Based on experience in Vietnam, the Army
required significant performance, survivability and reliability improvements
from both UTTAS and the new powerplant. The Army released its UTTAS request for
proposals (RFP) in January 1972. The RFP also included air transport
requirements. Transport aboard the C-130 limited the UTTAS cabin height and
length.
The UTTAS requirements for improved reliability, survivability and lower
life-cycle costs resulted in features such as dual-engines with improved hot and
high altitude performance, and a modular design (reduced maintenance footprint);
run-dry gearboxes; ballistically tolerant, redundant subsystems (hydraulic,
electrical and flight controls); crashworthy crew (armored) and troop seats;
dual-stage oleo main landing gear; ballistically tolerant, crashworthy main
structure; quieter, more robust main and tail rotor systems; and a ballistically
tolerant, crashworthy fuel system.
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, 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 sling.
The Black Hawk helicopter series can perform a wide array of missions, including
the tactical transport of troops, electronic warfare, and aeromedical
evacuation. A VIP version known as the VH-60N is used to transport important
government officials (e.g., Congress, Executive departments) with the
helicopter's call sign of "Marine One" when transporting the President of the
United States. In air assault operations, it can move a squad of 11 combat
troops or reposition a 105 mm M119 howitzer with 30 rounds ammunition, and a
four-man crew in a single lift. The Black Hawk is equipped with advanced
avionics and electronics for increased survivability and capability, such as the
Global Positioning System.
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
Turkish Armed Forces
Produced
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.
Highly modified H-60s were employed during the U.S. Special Operations mission
that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden on 1 May 2011. One such MH-60
helicopter crash-landed during the operation, and was destroyed by the team
before it departed in the other MH-60 and a backup MH-47 Chinook with bin
Laden's remains. Two MH-47s were used for the mission to refuel the two MH-60s
and as backups. News media reported that the Pakistani government granted the
Chinese military access to the wreckage of the crashed 'stealth' UH-60 variant
in Abbotabad; Pakistan and China denied the reports, and the U.S. Government has
not confirmed Chinese access.
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)
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)
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)
Power/mass: 0.192 hp/lb (158 W/kg)
Armament
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.
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