Australian Army aviation veers heavily towards the US
A UH-60M Black Hawk from the 6th Aviation Regiment conducts helicopter insertion and extraction training with the 2nd Commando Regiment. (Photo: ADF)
Sikorsky’s UH-60M Black Hawk and Boeing’s AH-46 Apache will soon form the bedrock of the Australian Army’s rotorcraft capabilities, as the army awaits further delivery of both types.
The Australian Army declared an initial operating capability (IOC) for its new UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters last month, as the type replaces the MRH90 Taipan. The declaration came 15 months after the first examples started flying in Australian skies.
The Department of Defence said, “The IOC ensures the twelve Black Hawks are able to support counterterrorism operations in Australia, and remediate capability gaps associated with the withdrawal from service of the MRH90 Taipan fleet”.
Deliveries by Sikorsky have been swift – Canberra decided to buy the Black Hawk in early 2023, and the first trio reached Australia in August that
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