Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky unit will manufacture up to 255 new H-60M Black Hawk helicopters for the U.S. Army under a new, five-year contract worth an estimated $4.4 billion. The firm-fixed-price contract covers an initial 120 of the military helicopters, valued at $2.28 billion, with options for 135 additional aircraft during the 2022-2027 period.
This is the tenth multi-year contract for Sikorsky supplying the H-60 helicopters for the U.S. Army, and will include both UH-60M Black Hawk and HH-60M MEDEVAC aircraft variants – which the supplier notes will continue to be deployed even as the Army prepares to develop its Future Vertical Lift project.
Black Hawk (H-60M) aircraft are four-blade, twin-engine helicopters in service with the Army since 1979. The current versions of the multi-mission helicopters (combat, assault, utility) offer increased payloads and range, advanced digital avionics, active vibration control, improved producibility, enhanced handling qualities and situational awareness, and improved survivability, according to Lockheed.
"Sikorsky continues to invest in the Black Hawk platform – from sustainment to digital transformation and modernization – in order to provide our customers with the competitive edge they require," stated Sikorsky vice president Nathalie Previte. "We have aligned our investments with the Army's technology roadmap, while leveraging Future Vertical Lift technologies to ensure the Black Hawk will be a key player in the Joint All Domain Operations environment and FVL ecosystem."
