Black Hawk helicopter purchase gets green light
The House Arms Committee approved the procurement of 35 UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters on Tuesday, which means that the Government Council for National Security (KYSEA) can authorize the General Directorate for Defense Investments and Armaments (GDDIA) to sign the US letter of acceptance (LOA) in order to start the implementation of the program.
According to reports, the signatures for the purchase of the 35 helicopters are to be put in place by the end of the week at the latest and then the US government will take the necessary steps to allocate the Greek Black Hawks on the production line.
With the addition of the new helicopters, the airborne operations capabilities of the Hellenic Army are to be significantly upgraded. However, the issue of the airfield remains a thorn after the complete destruction of Stefanovikeio Air Base by Storm Daniel last summer.
The Army Air Force’s 56 antiquated UH-1 Hueys will be replaced by Black Hawks. Due to a lack of support, the single-engine Hueys that were bought in 1969 are now extremely rare.
A two-year follow-on support contract (FOS) will be included with the acquisition of the Black Hawk, but military authorities have already begun the process of creating a five-year support plan that will guarantee high availability of the assets.
Since the new helicopters use the same engines as the Navy’s Apaches and MH-60 Romeos, Army General Staff sources reported to Kathimerini that the inclusion of the Black Hawk helps to achieve uniformity and improves the support of air assets. They also have a few characteristics in common with the S-70 Aegean Hawk.
