Story ID: 447 Armed Blackhawk
LM-Armed Black Hawk Made in Poland
By: Chris Pocock
Caption: Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Sikorsky has led to a version of the Black Hawk helicopter with mostly LM weaponry.
Word Count: 341
  
An early practical result of the acquisition of Sikorsky by Lockheed Martin last November is on display outside LM’s pavilion (Outdoor Exhibit 8) here. It is a fully armed version of the Black Hawk helicopter, using mostly LM weaponry. Moreover, it has displaced LM’s full-scale F-35 model from its usual prime position to a corner of the static park below Hall 1—an indication of LM’s serious intent to leverage its new rotary-wing product line. 
  
“Budgets are tight, and customers are asking for this additional option on what is already a very versatile and trusted helicopter,” said Bill Gostic, vice-president global military systems and services for LM-Sikorsky. He said that, unlike previous armed versions of the UH-60 series, the new version offers a highly integrated solution driven by a weapons management system (WMS) from Elbit. The helicopter on display shows AGM-114R Hellfire missiles, DAGR laser guided rockets, Hydra 70 rocket pods, and a FN-Herstal 12.7mm gun on a pylon mounted beneath its stub wings. LM’s recently-launched Infirno EO/IR sensor turret hangs beneath the nose. But Gostic said that customers could specify other weapons.
  
The machine on display is actually an S-70i version manufactured in Poland by PZL Mielec, the company that Sikorsky acquired in 2007. Since then, the Polish production line has turned out Black Hawks for Brunei, Colombia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, at a rate of 11 per annum. Gostic said that rate could be upped to 24, if required. He sees potential customers for the armed version in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Far East. 
  
Existing UH-60/S-70 operators can have their helicopters upgraded to the armed version—a one-month process in a depot. Once the core WMS and structural mods are done, the pylons and armament can be added in eight hours, Gostic said. New missions thereby made possible include close air support, armed assault, and armed escort. The dollar cost to add the weapons fit shown here would be “in the low single-digit millions” he added.