Sikorsky Aircraft, which was acquired by Lockheed Martin from United Technologies Corporation in 2015, has been awarded a $3.8 billion contract for the manufacturing and support of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The multi-year production run will take place at the company’s facility in Stratford, Connecticut, and is projected for completion by June 30, 2022. Since 1978, the UH-50 has been the primary medium-lift transport helicopter of the U.S. Army as well as the forces of several other nations. One reason for its popularity is the ability to customize the aircraft for missions ranging from troop and cargo transport to air assault, special operations, medical evacuation, and search-and-rescue.
Despite drawing infamy from the 2001 film Black Hawk Down, the UH-60 is a legacy Black Hawk that has risen to great popularity due to a twin-engine design that has proven extremely reliable in harsh conditions. Its speed, agility, and ability to perform rapid descents and take-offs have also won it a tremendous amount of trust with the troops.
The models headed to the KSA will feature an integrated digital cockpit, a moving map display, an enhanced GPS/INS system, and fully integrated flight controls. The aircraft’s overall design has also been used in developing the SH-60 Sea Hawk for naval operations, including the Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden. In total, 26 countries utilize the Black Hawk.
The KSA is the largest buyer of U.S. arms in the world, with an estimated $100 billion in military sales still under negotiation.