US approves revised $1.5 billion Black Hawk sale to Austria

The US State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Austria covering 12 Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and associated equipment, with an estimated value of $1.5 billion. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress on June 17, 2026.

The new notification revises Austria’s existing order for 12 aircraft, raising the estimated ceiling from the $1.05 billion cleared on May 29, 2024, to $1.5 billion and updating the equipment list. Both figures are notional limits set for congressional review rather than signed contract values.

The most visible changes concern the helicopters’ self-protection and avionics fit. The 2024 case listed 15 AN/AAR-57 missile warning systems; the new request lists five, alongside five Common Infrared Countermeasure Systems that did not feature in the earlier notification.

The radar warning receivers have been updated from the older APR-39C model to the AN/APR-39E(V)2, and the navigation suite changes from the H-764U embedded GPS to the EAGLE-M+429. The revised list also adds 30 AN/ARC-231A satellite communications radios.

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, remains the principal contractor, with GE Aerospace supplying the 26 T700-GE-701D engines, 24 installed and two spares.

Part of a wider fleet renewal

The Black Hawks are part of Austria’s Armed Forces 2032+ modernization plan and are intended to replace the Agusta-Bell AB212 fleet that has served the Austrian Air Force since 1980. They will join the older S-70A Black Hawks already operated by the Austrian Armed Forces, which were upgraded by US firm Ace Aeronautics. The UH-60M has gained ground among European operators in recent years, with Lithuania taking delivery of its first examples in October 2025.

The first aircraft from the 2024 order has already been handed to the US Army for military outfitting and certification, a milestone the US Embassy in Vienna marked on May 11, 2026. Deliveries to Austria are scheduled to begin in 2028.The post US approves revised $1.5 billion Black Hawk sale to Austria appeared first on AeroTime.

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