American utility helicopter, renowned for service in Iraq and Afghanistan, extensively employed for troop transport and medical evacuation. Key figures: top speed 294 km/h, range 2,221 km, service ceiling 5,791 m, max takeoff weight 10,659 kg, unit price $21M, built 5,000. In service with 36 air forces as of 2026 — United States (2,734), South Korea (122), Japan (101) and 33 others.
| Crew | 4 |
| Length | 19.5 m (64.1 ft) |
| Wingspan | 16.4 m (53.7 ft) |
| Height | 4.9 m (16.1 ft) |
| Empty weight | 4,819 kg (10,624 lbs) |
| Max. takeoff weight | 10,659 kg (23,499 lbs) |
| Powerplant | 2 × turboshafts General Electric T700-GE-701C 1,208 kW each |
| Maximum speed | 294 km/h (183 mph) |
| Operational range | 2,221 km (1,380 mi) |
| Service ceiling | 5,791 m (18,999 ft) |
| Climb rate | 3.6 m/s (11.8 ft/s) |
United States
2734 +248
South Korea
122 +12
Japan
101 +13
Turkey
99 +36
Saudi Arabia
81 +203
United Arab Emirates
80
Colombia
75
Taiwan
63 +12
Israel
49
Australia
40 +36
Philippines
40 +7
Jordan
31 +2
Brazil
26 +15
Thailand
26
Mexico
24 +7
India
20 +4
China
19
Greece
18 +35
Brunei
16
Sweden
15 +12
Austria
9 +15
Slovakia
9 +14
Denmark
9
Bahrain
8
Poland
8
Singapore
8
Tunisia
8
Afghanistan
7
Portugal
6 +7
Chile
6
Croatia
4 +8
Latvia
3 +1
Albania
2 +4
Lithuania
2 +2
Egypt
2
Malaysia
2
Indonesia
0 +24
Norway
0 +6
United States
×16
Sixteen more UH-60M ordered from Sikorsky for 234.5 million dollars; estimated completion June 2028.
Ordered
Mexico
Lost power on takeoff and struck the ground inside El Salto military base; the seven aboard suffered minor injuries.
Damaged
Philippines
×7
Final seven S-70i handed over at Villamor AB, completing the 32-helicopter order and taking the fleet to 47.
Delivered
Slovakia
×2
Two UH-60M special-operations Black Hawks landed at Kuchyňa AB before joining the 51st Helicopter Wing at Prešov; fleet now eleven.
Delivered
United States
160th SOAR MH-60 hard-landed near Golden Gate Canyon, Colorado; all three rotor blades damaged, crew of four uninjured.
Damaged
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a twin-engine, four-blade, medium-lift military utility helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft in the United States. It entered service with the U.S. Army in June 1979 to replace the Bell UH-1 Iroquois as the service's primary tactical transport helicopter. The aircraft is designed for troop transport, aeromedical evacuation, and electronic warfare missions.
The United States Army initiated the Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) program in 1972 to replace the UH-1. Sikorsky constructed four YUH-60A prototypes, with the first flight occurring on 17 October 1974. Following a fly-off evaluation against the Boeing Vertol YUH-61, the Army selected the UH-60A for production in December 1976, and deliveries began in October 1978. In 1987, the Army ordered the upgraded UH-60L featuring General Electric T700-GE-701C engines, with production starting in 1989. Development of the UH-60M was approved in 2001, featuring T700-GE-701D engines; full-rate production of 1,227 aircraft was authorized in December 2007.
The UH-60 features a fully articulated four-blade main rotor and a canted tail rotor powered by two General Electric T700 turboshaft engines. Its low-profile airframe allows transport inside a C-130 Hercules with partial disassembly. Cabin capacity accommodates 11 equipped troops or 2,600 lb (1,200 kg) of internal cargo, while external sling load capacity reaches up to 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) on UH-60L/M models. Stub wings fitted with the External Stores Support System (ESSS) or Crashworthy External Fuel System (CEFS) carry external fuel tanks or weapons systems.
The UH-60 carries defensive door-mounted weapons, including 7.62 mm M240 machine guns, 7.62 mm M134 miniguns, or 12.7 mm GAU-19 Gatling guns. When equipped with ESSS stub wings, the helicopter provides four hardpoints capable of holding up to 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) of ordnance. Supported armaments include 70 mm Hydra 70 rocket pods, up to 16 AGM-114 Hellfire laser-guided missiles, AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, 20 mm or 30 mm gun pods, and the VOLCANO minefield dispersal system.
The UH-60 made its combat debut during the U.S. invasion of Grenada in 1983, followed by the invasion of Panama in 1989. During the 1991 Gulf War, over 300 Black Hawks participated in the largest air assault mission in U.S. Army history. U.S. forces subsequently deployed the aircraft in Somalia, the Balkans, Haiti, Afghanistan, and Iraq. In May 2011, low-observable stealth variants were used during Operation Neptune Spear in Pakistan. As of 2024, the UH-60 is operated by 35 nations, including Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey.
UH-60A Black Hawk: Original U.S. Army utility variant powered by General Electric T700-GE-700 engines and produced from 1977 to 1989.
UH-60L Black Hawk: Upgraded utility model introduced in 1989 featuring T700-GE-701C engines, an improved gearbox, and an external lift capacity of 9,000 lb.
UH-60M Black Hawk: Modernized variant featuring T700-GE-701D engines, wide-chord main rotor blades, an improved durability gearbox, and a digital glass cockpit.
MH-60L DAP: Direct Action Penetrator special operations gunship configured with stub-wing hardpoints for cannons, rockets, and missiles without troop transport capacity.
SH-60 Seahawk: U.S. Navy maritime variant developed for shipboard multi-mission and anti-submarine operations.
The US State Department on September 10 approved a possible $140 million Foreign Military Sale of four UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters and two spare engines to Argentina, a package projected to give the Argentine Army its first Black Hawk unit as it moves to replace its UH-1H Hueys.
