REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. – U.S. Army aviation experts are ordering six late-model HH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters for missions like medical evacuations (medevac) and search and rescue.
Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced a $94.3 million order late last month to Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company in Stratford, Conn., to provide the Army with six program year 5, lot 45 HH-60M helicopters.
The HH-60M Black Hawk is the medical evacuation configuration of the MH-60M Black Hawk. It is a specialized multi-mission helicopter that can support medical, personnel or cargo transport missions. The aircraft is equipped with state-of-the-art medical systems to provide critical care for as many as six patients.
Medical systems include a patient litter system, an on-board oxygen generation system, medical suction, patient monitors and high intensity night-vision-compatible lighting. The aircraft also is equipped with advanced avionics and special mission systems to assist the crew in locating and rescuing injured personnel. Specialized equipment includes a forward looking infrared (FLIR) system and an external rescue hoist.
The HH-60M's sister aircraft is the twin-engine UH-60M Black Hawk, which is the newest model of the Black Hawk family. It can serve in extreme conditions, and is designed to replace the older UH-60A Black Hawk. It is the centerpiece of the Army's long-term effort to modernize the service's medium-lift helicopter fleet. Sikorsky has manufactured the Army Black Hawk since 1978.
Compared to earlier models of the Black Hawk, the HH-60M incorporates upgraded T700-GE-701D engines, improved rotor blades, and modern electronic instrumentation, flight controls and aircraft navigation control.
The HH-60M provides additional payload and range, advanced digital avionics, better handling qualities and situational awareness, active vibration control, improved survivability, and improved producibility. The helicopter can fly as fast as 151 knots at altitudes to 15,180 feet to distances as far as 276 nautical miles between refuelings.
The HH-60M's composite spar wide-chord blade provides 500 pounds more lift than the UH-60L blade. The General Electric T700-GE- 701D engine adds more horsepower and allow additional lift during external sling load operations.
The HH-60M cockpit includes multi-function displays; flight management systems; modern flight control computers with coupled autopilot; an integrated vehicle health management system with flight data and cockpit voice recorder; inertial navigation systems with embedded global positioning systems; improved data modem; and improved heads-up displays. The narrower cockpit instrument panel will also significantly improve chin window visibility.
On this order Sikorsky will do the work in Stratford, Conn., and should be finished by July 2022. For more information contact Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, online at www.lockheedmartin.com, or the Army Contracting Command-Redstone at https://acc.army.mil/contractingcenters/acc-rsa/.
