Renaissance Black Hawk International
Armed Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk International presented during the Day of Honored Guests at the training ground in Drawsko-Pomorskie on 16 June.
The past month allowed the Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk International multi-purpose transport helicopter to “remember itself”. On the one hand, this was due to the ongoing discussion in Poland on the purchase of new multi-purpose rotorcraft, and on the other hand, with the start of deliveries of such machines to Turkey. Both issues are related to each other, and this cornerstone is Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze Sp. z oo from Mielec, owned by Lockheed Martin Corporation, which is also the owner of Sikorsky Aircraft.
Political statements in recent months about a possible adjustment or complete cancellation of the tender for the purchase of multi-purpose transport helicopters and protracted compensation negotiations with Airbus in the Ministry of Development have led to the fact that both the owners of PZL-Świdnik SA and PZL Sp. z oo from Mielec, did not refuse to advance their proposals and all the time tried to remind, first of all, the leaders of the Ministry of National Defense and parliamentarians about the capabilities of their rotorcraft. In the case of the S-70i Black Hawk International helicopter, an added benefit was the recent change of ownership, Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. was bought by Lockheed Martin Corporation, and thus the program received the additional advantage of increasing the range of layout of machines without the need to involve the US administration (mainly in terms of weapons), as well as extending the credit and industrial offer. The result of these changes was the presentation of the helicopter during the Day of Honored Guests, which ended the international exercises Anakonda 2016, which took place at the Drawsko-Pomorska training ground on June 16.
The sample shown in Drawsko-Pomorskie was assembled at the beginning of 2015 and, after a series of test flights, was stored at the Mielec plant in anticipation of a potential customer. This year, it was decided to use it as a demonstrator of a multi-purpose combat support helicopter, which is a variant of the transport-combat version of the AH-3 Battlehawk described in WiT 2016/60. So far, few customers have decided to purchase rotorcraft of this type - they are operated by Colombia, and orders for them have been placed by the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia. The world premiere in Drawsko Pomorskie was the occasion for presentations, primarily for local leaders, the world premiere is scheduled for the July air show in Farnborough. Earlier, in 1990, in the same place, Sikorsky, together with the British Westland, promoted a similar WS-70 machine.
So far, S-70i Black Hawk Internationals have been dispatched from Mielec to: Saudi Ministry of the Interior, Colombian and Brunei armed forces, Mexican and Turkish police. The lack of new orders, especially the expected Polish state order, slowed down the assembly of cars at PZL Sp. z oo So far, 39 units have been manufactured in Poland, some of which are waiting in the hangars of the customer's plant, and the work of the plant is focused on the production of UH-60M cabins, which are supplied to the USA and used in helicopters manufactured in Stratford.
The S-70i Black Hawk International combat vehicle, presented in Drawsko-Pomorsk, was equipped with a multifunctional observation and aiming head and received a modular ESSS (External Stores Support System) system, consisting of a pair of wings attached to the fuselage, the ability to install two beams for weapons and additional equipment. As for weapons, the manufacturer offers the possibility of installing M260 or M261 containers for 70-mm rockets (in versions with unguided and semi-active laser guidance), as well as M310 or M299 launchers for the AGM-114R Hellfire II. anti-tank missiles (other possible versions - S, K, M, N). Additionally, multi-barreled 12,7 mm GAU-19 or 7,62 mm M134 machine guns can be suspended on the ESSS (optional FN HMP400 LC and RMP LC containers with 12,7 mm FN M3P explosives or AFVs and three 70 mm launchers) .
