Integration of New Weapons System Enhances Black Hawk Helicopter Capabilities
Sikorsky, a leading aerospace company, has successfully developed and certified a new weapons system retrofit kit for the widely-used Black Hawk helicopters. This significant advancement offers increased combat capabilities to the U.S. Army and other international military users of this venerable platform.
With the U.S. Army’s plan to continue operating Black Hawk helicopters for several more decades, Sikorsky’s development of a new weapons system retrofit kit aligns well with the ongoing investment and enhancement efforts for this helicopter platform. The new kit enables the integration of advanced weaponry into the Black Hawk, thus enhancing its combat effectiveness and versatility.
While there are existing armed versions of the Black Hawk, these are predominantly tailored by the U.S. Special Operations community to meet specific requirements, limiting their availability for international use. Sikorsky’s new weapons system kit offers a more standardized approach, providing integrated weaponry that can be easily adopted by a variety of military users.
The global military community heavily relies on UH-60 and S-70 Black Hawk helicopters due to their proven reliability in challenging environments. These helicopters have served in various roles, including troop and cargo transport, combat reconnaissance, search and rescue missions, medical evacuation, and humanitarian relief efforts.
Sikorsky’s ongoing commitment to enhancing helicopter capabilities is evident through its delivery of new H-60M models to U.S. Army units and the production of HH-60W combat rescue helicopters for the U.S. Air Force. This dedication to innovation and improvement has led to the successful development of the new weapons system kit.
The genesis of the new weapons system kit dates back to collaborative efforts between Sikorsky and Elbit Systems in 2009. These two companies conducted proof-of-concept demonstrations in Israel, test-firing a range of weapons on a Black Hawk helicopter. The positive results from these demonstrations, coupled with the international demand for a standardized armed utility helicopter, paved the way for the development of the weapons system kit.
The certification process for the new weapons system kit involved rigorous testing and evaluation over a six-year period. This included tests of a variety of weapons, such as fixed-forward guns, rockets, and guided air-to-ground missiles. The integration of the weapons system with the Black Hawk’s avionics, cockpit displays, and flight management system was a critical aspect of this process.
One of the key advantages of this new integrated weapons system is its user-friendly interface, which significantly reduces the training time required for pilots to effectively operate the weaponry. The system leverages the aircraft’s digital cockpit and head-up display, providing pilots with real-time information on weapon parameters and targeting data. This integration ensures accurate targeting and minimizes collateral damage, ultimately enhancing the safety and effectiveness of military operations.
The integration process of the weapons system kit takes approximately three months per helicopter. Once integrated, the aircraft can be configured for combat roles in under three hours, allowing for rapid adaptability to changing battlefield scenarios.
The success of Sikorsky’s efforts in developing and certifying the new weapons system kit is already apparent, as the company secured its first international contract for this advanced capability. With its increased combat effectiveness, standardized integration process, and user-friendly interface, the new weapons system kit represents a significant advancement in helicopter technology, ensuring the continued relevance and utility of the Black Hawk helicopter well into the future.
