UH-60A Black Hawk
The original Army Black Hawk — the crashworthy successor to the Huey · First flight 1974 · In service 1979
The Black Hawk was Sikorsky's answer to the US Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) requirement for a Huey replacement. The first YUH-60A flew on 17 October 1974, three prototypes were evaluated against the Boeing Vertol YUH-61A from 1976, and the Army chose the Sikorsky design in December 1976. The first production UH-60A was handed over on 31 October 1978, and the type entered service in June 1979 with the 101st Airborne Division.
The A model fixed the layout of the whole family: four-blade main and tail rotors, a canted tail rotor, two GE T700-GE-700 turboshafts and a long, low fuselage that could be carried in a C-130 after some disassembly. It carried a crew of four and up to 11 equipped troops, with crashworthy seats and fuel system built in from the start.
UH-60As were produced from 1977 to 1989. As weight crept up with added mission equipment, the Army ordered the uprated UH-60L, and many A models were later rebuilt to L standard or re-engined; the US Air Force also flew UH-60As in the rescue role before its HH-60 Pave Hawks arrived.
