Army UH-60M Black Hawk fleet update

The Australian Army says it is rapidly bringing its fleet of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters in to service, with the aircraft and crews flying more than 1400 hours in support of introduction-into-service activities since the first airframes arrived last year.

CAPTION: Australian Army soldiers and aviators conduct helicopter insertion and extraction training as part of UH-60M Black Hawk introduction-into-service activities. Photo by Corporal Robert Whitmore.

Army soldiers and aviators have undertaken first-of-class flight trials, essential platform training and special operations training activities.

Training on the Black Hawk will continue in November with test and evaluation of the aircraft’s capability, as well as counter-terrorism training to be conducted across the greater Sydney region.

Commander Army Aviation Command Major General Stephen Jobson said undergoing this training was an important milestone for the aviation capability.

“Black Hawk provides Army with the modern, credible and sustainable aviation capability it needs to meet the contemporary challenges of warfare,” Major General Jobson said.

“This specialised, complex training will ensure our soldiers and aviators are able to rapidly respond to domestic emergencies and potential security threats.

“We thank the New South Wales community for the ongoing support, and appreciate your patience while we conduct essential training that is critical to maintaining our world-class counter-terrorism response.”

Ten UH-60M Black Hawks have been delivered to Australia since August 2023, with a further two aircraft scheduled for delivery this month.

All 40 aircraft are due to be delivered by 2030.

The fleet is on track to achieve an initial operational capability in the coming months.

 

 

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