The first flight of the upgraded Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk will take place in the third quarter of this year, signalling the start of a multi-year modernisation programme which will form the backbone of Sikorsky's military business for the next two decades.
The US Army plans to upgrade 1,200 existing UH-60A and UH-60L models and purchase 300 new production Black Hawks. The goal is to give the aircraft greater capability, a larger payload and to reduce maintenance costs.
Four Black Hawks are currently involved in the development programme - a UH-60A, a UH-60L, a UH-60Q medevac variant and a new production UH-60M. Once these four complete the upgrade process, work on the low-rate initial production aircraft (LRIP) will begin next year. The rate of production will eventually ramp up to as many as 90 aircraft a year by 2012.
Sikorsky says the new composite spar wide chord rotor blade will provide an additional 500lb of lift and the new GE T700-GE-701D engine will produce 3% more shaft horsepower, adding up to 500lb to the aircraft's payload.
Source: Flight Daily News
