Australian Defence UH-60M Black Hawk update: fleet training, use and delivery

Australia’s Department of Defence provided details regarding the delivery and use of the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter as well as training updates

The department said that since the first batch arrived in August 2023, the aircraft has flown more than 1,400 hours in support of introduction into the Australian Army’s service activities.

Army soldiers and aviators have undertaken essential platform training, special operations training activities and first of class flight trials for the Black Hawk.

The department said that training will continue in November 2024, with test and evaluation of the aircraft’s capability, and counter-terrorism training to be conducted across the greater Sydney region.

“The Black Hawk provides the Army with the modern, credible and sustainable aviation capability it needs to meet the contemporary challenges of warfare,” Major General Jobson said in a statement.

“This specialized, complex training will ensure our soldiers and aviators are able to rapidly respond to domestic emergencies and potential security threats,” Jobson added.

“We thank the New South Wales community for the ongoing support, and appreciate your patience while we conduct essential training that is critical to maintaining our world-class counter-terrorism response,” Jobson concluded.

Since August 2023, 10 UH-60M Black Hawks have been delivered to Australia and a further two aircraft are scheduled for delivery in November 2024. All 40 aircraft are due to be delivered by 2030.

The Department of Defence said the fleet is on track to achieve an initial operational capability in the coming months.

In December 2021, Australia announced plans to procure around 40 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to replace the Army’s fleet of 41 NHIndustries NH90, known locally as the MRH90 Taipan.

Then-Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the MRH90 Taipan’s performance had been an on-going “concern” for the department, and that “significant effort”, and “great expense” had been used to remediate the concerns. 

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