Advantages:
Safety: the safety of the Blackhawk in the 10-ton level of general-purpose helicopters is considered a leader, so often used by a number of countries as a special aircraft for the dignitaries, which can be seen in its security is relatively high.
Reliability: the reliability of the Blackhawk is one of the most reliable models in the world, to cite an example of China's introduction of the Blackhawk model S-70 in 80 years is still flying in the sky, so many years to maintain a good flight record.
Universality: Blackhawk as a medium-sized general-purpose helicopters can be said to play the most versatile features, air, sea, land, air and emergency departments, etc. have chosen the Blackhawk as a suitable model to use to see its research and development at the beginning of the generality of the aspects taken into account. A variety of models are available for different tasks.
Easy to maintain: in fact, it can be categorized into the reliability, but thought it would be better to come up with a separate, the Blackhawk helicopter overhaul time with the Russian and European helicopter powerhouses than not a higher level, the whole aircraft overhaul and repair time is long, which is entirely due to the quality of its airframe parts construction and baking fatigue of the credit.
Research and development background:
Bell UH-1 "Huey" series helicopters in the Vietnam battlefield proved the value of the UH-1 helicopter since the Vietnam battlefield UH-1 helicopters in the Vietnam battlefield UH-1 helicopters in the Vietnam battlefield value of the UH-1 helicopters on the battlefield, in the Vietnam War continued to heat up in the middle of the 1960s UH-1 in the battlefield has also been exposed to a number of defects, the U.S. Army began to consider the helicopter. The U.S. Army began to consider a successor to the aircraft. As the war dragged on for a decade, the need for a replacement for the assault transport helicopter became more pressing, and in January 1972 the Army issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to industry for the Universal Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS), which called for the aircraft to meet new standards of performance, survivability, and maintainability. in August 1972 the Boeing-Voltoltor and Sikorsky proposals were short-listed, with each manufacturer receiving two ground-test aircraft and three test-flight prototypes. aircraft and three contracts to test fly prototypes, with extensive test flights to decide the winner.
Design criteria:
Sikorsky's UTTAS prototype company number S-70, YUH-61A with the YUH-60A military number YUH-60A. The first prototype first flew on October 17, 1974.
Sikorsky's UTTAS prototype company number S-70, YUH-61A with the YUH-60A military number YUH-60A. The Boeing-Votor prototype YUH-61A first flew on November 29.In the spring of 1976 the Army began a very thorough evaluation of both aircraft. However, a YUH-60A accidentally landed in a dense forest near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, during a nighttime test flight, resulting in a damaged rotor but no injuries, and flew itself back to base after replacing the rotor, then retook flight with only minor repairs. The Army was so impressed that Sikorsky was named the winner on December 23, 1976, and received the first orders for the UH-60A Black Hawk.
Design:
The UH-60A was initially fitted with a fixed swept-back flat tail. Differences between the prototype and the production version resulted in the helicopter's nose being tilted up during landing and hovering, and a series of studies and tests were conducted before it was changed to the current downward-deflecting, flat-tailed, flat-tailed version. The production version also had a reinforced tailwheel, a modified fuselage-to-engine fairing profile, and higher rotor blades that caused excessive vibration. The portholes were also modified, and the sliding side windows on the cockpit hatch were replaced by plain side windows with small sliding windows because they were too drafty. The single porthole at the rear of the cockpit was also replaced by two sliding portholes that were easier to open. The rotor blades and tail rotor were 4-bladed and could withstand 23mm shells. Each rotor blade consists of a titanium wing beam, fiberglass skin, honeycomb core, and leading edge nickel wear sheath. The tail rotor is made of carbon fiber-epoxy composite and is tilted 20 degrees with respect to the vertical plane thought the rotor is unloaded. There is a flat flight stabilizing tail below the drogue, which is deflected downward at low speeds and in hover so as not to affect the helicopter's attitude.
Power design:
The UH-60A is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-700 turboshaft engines, each producing 1,165 kilowatts (1,560 shaft horsepower), which are capable of running for up to half an hour after all the oil has leaked out. A Sun Turbine T62T-40-1 auxiliary power unit (APU) was installed between the two engines to start the engines and to serve as ground auxiliary power. [4] The UH-60A has a rear three-point fixed landing gear with heavy-duty shock absorbers to withstand rough landings. In addition, skids can be added to the wheels for landing and taking off in snow or swamps. The aircraft is equipped with crash-resistant fuel tanks and is armored in critical areas.
Screenshot of performance data:
Some derivatives:
The UH-60 utility helicopter models are quite varied, with models in service with the U.S. Navy, Army and Air Force. For the UH-60 prototype's extensions, the UH-60A and UH-60L, see above. For its more improved and extensive extensions, see the entries: SH-60 naval helicopter, HH-60 rescue helicopter, and S-70 helicopter.
UH-60Q:
The Army converted a number of UH-60As into UH-60Q dedicated medical evacuation helicopters, replacing those ad hoc conversions to the UH-60A/L. Like the UH-60A/L fitted with a medical evacuation rotary kit, the UH-60Q was arranged with stretchers and medics, but with a more optimized layout to accommodate more medical emergency equipment. The UH-60Q also has a nose-mounted forward-looking infrared turret for night/bad weather flights, in addition to a new built-in rescue winch, which provides much greater lifting capacity than the outward-swinging winches fitted to the UH-60A/L. Five YUH-60A(Q)s modified from the UH-60A were evaluated in the 1990s, and the Army ultimately chose to modify the UH-60L, unofficially numbered HH
MH-60A:
At the same time, the U.S. Army also experimented with converting 30 UH-60A Viceroy Eagles, which were simple conversions of the UH-60A, into the MH-60A Special Operations version, with major modifications such as the addition of aerial refueling probe rods, the HIRSS exhaust suppressor, and the addition of a 443-liter exhaust suppressor in the rear of the nacelle. The main modifications include the addition of an aerial refueling probe, HIRSS exhaust suppressor, a 443-liter internal fuel tank at the rear of the nacelle, a forward-looking infrared turret on the nose, an omega/ultra-low-frequency (ULF) navigation system, a self-defense countermeasures system including a Disco Lights infrared jamming machine and two M130 chaff-infrared jamming bombs dispensers, night-vision goggle-compatible cockpits, and a "mini-gun" mounted on the external bracket on each side. "Mini-guns" on each side of the external mount. Because some of these modifications were simple installations, the MH-60A was also jokingly referred to as the "Velcro Hawk" (Velcro is nylon Velcro).
MH-60K:
The MH-60A was the first of the MH-60K's to be converted to the UH-60A in 1990.
MH-60K:
The MH-60A was the first of the MH-60K's to be modified to the UH-60A. 60A is a transition model before the MH-60K entered service, featuring improvements such as an empty MH-60K refueling probe, HIRSS exhaust suppressor, "disco light" infrared jammer, foil-IR jammer dispenser, and a night-vision-compatible cockpit, in addition to the following: Improved sensors including the AN/AAQ-16B forward-looking infrared turret, the MH-60A, the MH-60A, the MH-60A, and the MH-60A, and the MH-60A. 16B forward-looking infrared turret, a radio altimeter for low-level flight, and a nose-mounted Texas Instruments AN/APQ-174 terrain avoidance/tracking radar. A more comprehensive Self-Defense Countermeasures Suite adds the AN/AAR-47 missile warning receiver, AN/AVR-3 laser warning receiver, AN/APR-39A pulse and AN/APR-44 continuous wave warning receivers, and AN/ALQ-136 pulse and AN/ALQ-162 radio frequency jammers. The self-defense countermeasures suite is linked together via the Aircraft Survival Equipment System (ASE) for automatic operation. A new external winch replaces the swing-out winch used on the UH-60A and Viceroy Eagle. The Seahawk is equipped with a folding flat tail that can be folded down on either side of the drogue, and the MH-60K has a 12.7mm machine gun mounted on each side of the machine gunner's window, although other machine guns, such as the Minigun, can be mounted as well. The 12.7mm machine gun has a much lower rate of fire than the Gatling, but has a much higher range and power, and the MH-60K's ESSS short wing can also mount many advanced weapons, such as Stinger air-to-air missiles and Hellfire anti-tank missiles, which were later added to the front infrared turret. A laser target indicator was added to the forward-looking infrared turret. The MH-60K prototype first flew on August 10, 1990, and the first production aircraft flew on February 26, 1992, and the U.S. Army*** is equipped with the Stinger air-to-air missile and the Hellfire anti-tank missile, as well as the Hellfire anti-tank missile. The U.S. Army*** is equipped with 22 MH-60Ks, but the combat situation is classified, and the aircraft has played an important role in the war on terror in Afghanistan and Iraq.
China's Blackhawk history:
China signed a contract with the U.S. company Sikorsky in July 1984 to buy 24 S-70 Blackhawk helicopters, and the first four Blackhawks arrived in Tianjin, China, in November 1984. The S-70 is the only American helicopter in the PLA's fleet that is known to the public, and it is also the helicopter with the best plateau performance that the PLA has ever had.
Before the introduction of the Black Hawk, the PLA had no helicopters that could be used at altitudes above 3,000 meters. The Chinese S-70 is slightly different from the U.S. Army's standard UH-60 in order to meet the needs of the plateau region. The Chinese S-70 is powered by a T700-701A engine with increased thrust, improved rotor brakes, and the upper main gear housing of the SH-60. The standard U.S. Doppler navigation system was replaced by the LTN3100VLF navigation system. The fuselage is made of a variety of advanced materials, including 7075-T6 aluminum alloy, and the fuselage's firing windows and machine gun mounts have been optimized for better load bearing.
The Chinese Blackhawk was mainly deployed in the Beijing and Chengdu military districts, but entered service in the highland areas of Tibet and Xinjiang after 1985. The military appreciates its plateau performance, and in fact the S-70 is the only helicopter in the Army Aviation Department that can operate smoothly in the plateau area. the S-70 has participated in a number of rescue missions in the disaster areas of Tibet and the recovery of returned satellites, and has been used intensively, with a total of more than 11,000 hours of flight time by 1989. The high attendance rate naturally led to an increase in the number of accidents. "The environment in which the Black Hawk is used is mainly the Tibetan Plateau, where the climatic conditions can be regarded as the worst in the world, and a number of accidents have occurred in which people have been killed. However, most of these accidents were caused by weather or human error, and only a few were caused by mechanical failure. The most serious accident is, June 16, 1991, a "Black Hawk" crashed in Tibet, including the Chengdu Military Region, deputy commander of the 12 PLA personnel on board all killed.
Both Landcruiser and Sikorsky had high hopes for the Black Hawk, with Sikorsky expecting to sell 100 Black Hawks to China. But after 1989, these ideas fell through. China tried to map and copy the Black Hawk, but the industrial base was too weak to realize it. In fact, after 1989, China has been able to purchase essential components from Sikorsky, which accounts for a significant portion of U.S. military trade with mainland China. The sale of these parts was not opposed by the U.S. community, as China's Blackhawks are reportedly often used in humanitarian relief operations in Tibet and Xinjiang.
Unable to get more S-70 Black Hawks, the LNA soon turned to Russian Mi-17 helicopters. The arrival of large numbers of Mi-17s, especially the latest Mi-17V5 Highlander model, eased the problem of the LNA's urgent needs. But in general, only by developing its own helicopters at the level of the S-70 can it be said that China's helicopters have reached a world-class level and are no longer restricted by others.
But the advanced nature of the S-70 is indisputable, and it is the overall lead. For example, the T700 engine on the S-70 has only two fuses, and the improved version even eliminates them. Whereas the engine of the Mi-8 requires fuses in many places, has more than 20 adjustment points, and even as many as 45 random tools. Therefore, the maintainability of the S-70 in our army is much stronger than that of the Mi-8 and Mi-17. In terms of plateau performance and corrosion protection, the S-70 has an overwhelming advantage.