New Black Hawk Unveils Latest Helo Tech

New Black Hawk Unveils Latest Helo Tech
Army News Service | November 20, 2007

WASHINGTON - The Army's latest version of the Black Hawk helicopter, the UH-60M, paid a call on the Pentagon Wednesday to show off its various upgraded technical capabilities.

While this was the "M" model's maiden flight into the Washington area, the newest version was introduced to the Army in late October when a single bird flew from the Sikorsky factory in Connecticut directly to Fort Campbell, Ky., for a preview to the 30 Black Hawks which begin delivery to the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division next month.

The UH-60M will gradually replace the 25-year old "L" model and become the Army's medium-lift helicopter capable of assault, medevac and cargo missions as well as command and control, aerial sustainment, and search and rescue. It will also be looked at as a follow-on helo to special operations units according to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gene McNeill, who is presently serving as a test pilot and trainer on the "M" model at Sikorsky.

CWO4 McNeill, with two Iraq tours behind him and a 20-year veteran of the "L" model has made four cross-country trips and logged some 40 hours of cockpit time. He's impressed and a believer in the new technology, particularly the digital avionics suite that makes the bird more user-friendly to crew and passengers regardless of mission.

"The Mike model will do everything the Lima will do... but the "M" will do it so much better," he said. "What I like about this aircraft is the extreme precise accuracy of navigation using imbedded GPS and INS technologies. That translates to increased situational awareness on the battlefield at all times.

"With a digital moving map you know exactly where you are with relationship to the earth; it enables you with ease and comfort to navigate, fly and execute your mission a lot better because you also don't have to do manual calculations; the aircraft's digital suite makes everything faster and they can be done while the aircraft is on-the-fly," Chief McNeill said. "That also allows one pilot to fly the aircraft while the other serves as the mission operator."


Rest of article at: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,156716,00.html



uhc comment: The upgrades are only $500,000 a pop --> http://www.sae.org/aeromag/techupdate_5-00/01.htm