Sikorsky S-70
The Sikorsky S-70 is an American medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the US Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Black Hawk and spawning a large family in US military service. New and improved versions of the UH-60 have been developed since. Civilian versions, and some military versions are produced under various S-70 model designations.
S-70/H-60 series | |
---|---|
Los Angeles County Fire Department S-70A Firehawk at Fox field | |
Role | Medium-lift transport/utility helicopter |
Manufacturer | Sikorsky Aircraft, Turkish Aerospace Industries (under Licence)[1] |
First flight | 1974 |
Introduction | 1979 |
Status | In service |
Primary users | U.S. Customs and Border Protection U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration Government Flying Service (Hong Kong) See Operators section for others |
Produced | 1970s–present |
Variants | Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk Sikorsky HH-60 Jayhawk Mitsubishi H-60 |
Development
The S-70 family was developed to meet a US Army requirement to replace the UH-1 Iroquois family of utility medium-lift helicopters in 1972. Three YUH-60A prototypes were constructed, with the first flying in October 1974. They were evaluated against the Boeing-Vertol YUH-61A. The YUH-60A was selected for production, and entered service as the UH-60A Black Hawk with the US Army in 1979.[2]
After entering service, the helicopter was modified for new missions and roles, including mine laying and medical evacuation. An EH-60 variant was developed to conduct electronic warfare and special operations aviation developed the MH-60 variant to support its missions.[3] In the late 1980s the model was upgraded to the UH-60L, which featured more power and lift with the upgrade to the -701C model of the GE T700 engine. The improved UH-60M model was developed in the early 2000s.[2] The UH-60M and its International version, the S-70i, include GPS navigation, a glass cockpit, an integrated Flight Management System, and a significant upgrade to the powertrain and rotor system adding both power and lift capability.
The S-70 can perform a variety of missions, including air cavalry, electronic warfare, and aeromedical evacuation. Versions are used to transport the President of the United States under call sign "Marine One". In air assault operations it can move a squad of 11 combat troops and equipment or carry the 105 mm M102 howitzer, thirty rounds of ammunition, and a six-man crew. Alternatively, it can carry 2,600 lb (1,200 kg) of cargo or sling load 9,000 lb (4,100 kg) of cargo. The S-70 is equipped with advanced avionics and electronics, such as the Global Positioning System.
The United States Navy received the first navalized SH-60B Seahawk in 1983, and the SH-60F Ocean Hawk in 1988.
The HH-60G Pave Hawk is a highly modified version of the S-70 primarily designed to recover downed aircrew or other isolated personnel during war and equipped with a rescue hoist with a 250 ft (76 m) cable that has a 600 lb (270 kg) lift capability, and a retractable in-flight refueling probe. The United States Air Force received the MH-60G Pave Hawk in 1982.
The United States Coast Guard received the HH-60J Jayhawk in 1992. It utilizes the equipment of the HH-60G Pave Hawk on the navalized SH-60 platform.[4]
The S-70A Firehawk is a version of the S-70 designed for firefighting, rescue, medical evacuation, and external lift of bulky cargo and equipment. The Oregon National Guard was the first military organization in the world to add the Firehawk to its inventory; the Los Angeles County Fire Department was the first municipal organization.
The Army flies medical evacuation models which are configured as rotary winged medical suites. It also uses the S-70 for special operations by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ("Night Stalkers") at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, designated as the MH-60K.
The Maple Hawk was a variant offered by Sikorsky to the Canadian Forces during a 1996 tender to replace the military's search and rescue helicopters.[5]
Variants
H-60
- AH-60 Arpia III: Based on the UH-60H platform, is an indigenous development made by the Colombian Air Force, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) (Elbit Systems), and Sikorsky Aircraft. Main armament is Hellfire anti-tank missiles and a GAU-21 machine gun on an indigenously developed turret.[6]
- AH-60 Arpia IV: Based on the UH-60L, is an indigenous development made by the Colombian Air Force, IAI (Elbit Systems), and Sikorsky. Main armament is the Spike NLOS and a Nexter THL-20 gun turret.[7]
- UH-60 Black Hawk: The basic military utility helicopter for the US Army, with MH-60A, K, L, and M Special Operations variants.
- VH-60 White Hawk: The US presidential transport helicopter, Marine One, used by the United States Marine Corps Marine Helicopter Squadron One
- SH-60 Seahawk: Variant for anti-submarine warfare, search and rescue, maritime patrol, all-weather and day/night for the US Navy.
- Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk: A multimission maritime helicopter for the U.S. Navy
- Sikorsky MH-60S, unofficially known as the "Knighthawk", maritime medium-heavy lift helicopter for the U.S. Navy
- HH-60 Pave Hawk: Heli-rescue variant for search and rescue, MEDEVAC, and combat search and rescue use on day and night operations for the USAF.
- MH-60G Pave Hawk, Special Operations search-and-rescue helicopter variant for the U.S. Air Force.
- HH-60 Jayhawk: Variant for maritime patrol, interdiction, and search and rescue for the United States Coast Guard. The MH-60T Jayhawk is an upgraded version.
S-70
The company name for the H-60/S-70 family is the S-70 Black Hawk.
- S-70A Black Hawk (UH-60 Black Hawk): Military model for the export market.
- S-70A Firehawk: Firefighting variant of the UH-60L. Tank system designed and built by Aero Union in Chico, California.
- S-70A (N) Naval Hawk: Maritime variant that blends the S-70A Black Hawk and S-70B Seahawk designs.
- S-70B/C Seahawk: Maritime military model for the export market.
- S-70A-9: Australian derivative Black Hawk
- S-70C Firehawk: Civilian water-bomber variant
- S-70i Black Hawk: International military version assembled by Sikorsky subsidiary, PZL Mielec in Poland.[8][9]
- Turkish Aerospace Industries T70: A Turkish variant of the S-70i, built under license by Turkish Aerospace Industries with indigenous Turkish mission-computer and avionics (by ASELSAN); flight controls, landing gear and transmission (by Alp Aviation); and T700-TEI-701D engines under license from General Electric (by Tusaş Engine Industries).[10][11] Turkey was to initially produce about 109 T70s under license. US Ambassador to Turkey Frank Ricciardone stated that Turkey now intends to produce some 600 T70s.[12]
Derivatives
- Sikorsky S-71 - a proposed attack helicopter using dynamic components from the S-70.[13][14][15]
- Sikorsky S-92 - Civilian medium-lift derivative of the S-70/H-60 with dynamic components based on S-70/H-60 components.[16] The S-92 took its maiden flight on December 23, 1998 at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center, West Palm Beach, Florida.[17]
- H-92 Superhawk - Military version of the S-92. The Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone is the H-92 version for the Canadian Armed Forces.
Specifications (S-70I)
Data from
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 14-17 seats / 12 troops / 6 stretchers / 9,000 lb (4,082 kg) external slung load
- Length: 64 ft 10 in (19.76 m)
- Height: 17 ft 6 in (5.33 m)
- Empty weight: 11,790 lb (5,348 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 22,000 lb (9,979 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 2,530 US gal (2,107 imp gal; 9,577 l) maximum fuel:-
- 360 US gal (300 imp gal; 1,363 l) internal
- 2x 185 US gal (154 imp gal; 700 l) cabin auxiliary tanks (optional)
- up to 4x drop tanks of 450 US gal (375 imp gal; 1,703 l) or 230 US gal (192 imp gal; 871 l) (optional)
- Powerplant: 2 × General Electric T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines, 1,940 shp (1,450 kW) each
- Specific fuel consumption (sfc): 0.462 lb/hp/h (0.0781 kg/kW/ks)[32]
- Main rotor diameter: 53 ft 8 in (16.36 m)
- Main rotor area: 2,262.33 sq ft (210.177 m2)
- Blade section: - root: SC1095/SC1095R8; tip: Sikorsky SC1095[33]
Performance
- Maximum speed: 195 kn (224 mph, 361 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 163 kn (188 mph, 302 km/h) maximum cruise
- 149 kn (171 mph; 276 km/h) economical cruise
- Range: 250 nmi (290 mi, 460 km) with 20 minutes reserve
- Service ceiling: 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Rate of climb: 2,250 ft/min (11.4 m/s)
Armament
- Guns: M240 machine gun, FN MAG machine guns, AN/M3 machine guns, GAU-19 Gatling gun
- Rockets: Hydra rockets
- Missiles: Hellfire missiles (x16)
See also
Related development
- MH-60 "Knight Hawk"
- Mitsubishi H-60
- Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone
- Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk
- Sikorsky MH-60 Jayhawk
- Sikorsky S-92
- Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk
- Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk
- VH-60 Presidential Hawk
Related lists
- List of active military aircraft of the United States
- List of helicopters
- List of Sikorsky S-70 Models
- List of utility helicopters
References
Notes
- "Sikorsky". www.sikorsky.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-18.
- Bishop, Chris (2008). Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. Osprey Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1-84176-852-6.
- Tomajczyk (2003), pp. 15–29.
- "SH-60 Sea Hawk helicopter". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
- "Canada orders review of SAR bidding". FlightGlobal. DVV Media International Limited. 1997-12-16. Archived from the original on 2020-07-07.
- Infodefensa.com (9 March 2015). "El Sikorsky AH-60L Arpía IV de la Fuerza Aérea colombiana: ¿Pasos hacia la disuasión efectiva? - Opinión Infodefensa América". Archived from the original on 4 October 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
- "Fuerza Aérea Colombiana presenta el AH-60L Arpía IV". www.webinfomil.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-04. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
- "Sikorsky breathes new life into PZL Mielec" Archived 2010-06-11 at the Wayback Machine. Flight International, June 8, 2010.
- "First S-70i Helicopter Fully Assembled at Sikorsky Facility in Poland" Archived 2011-01-10 at the Wayback Machine. Sikorsky, March 15, 2010.
- "Sikorsky wins Turkish utility helicopter battle". FlightGlobal.com. 2011-04-21. Archived from the original on 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- "News". OnlineAMD.com. 2011-04-25. Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- "Can Turkey Afford Its Extensive Defense Plans?". DefenseNews.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- "American airplanes: Sikorsky". Aerofiles.com. 2009-04-26. Archived from the original on 2012-07-18. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- Sikorsky Helicopters Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine - Helis.com
- "S-71 image". deviantart.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- Donald, David, ed. "Sikorsky S-92". The Complete Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Barnes & Nobel Books, 1997. ISBN 0-7607-0592-5.
- Frawley, Gerald. "Sikorsky S-92". The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 2002/2003. Aerospace Publications, 2002. ISBN 1-875671-55-2.
- "World Air Forces 2004". Flightglobal Insight. 2004. Archived from the original on 25 October 2014. Retrieved 17 January 2014.
- "Presidential Sikorsky S-70A-30". Demand media. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Colombia requests nine more Black Hawks for counter-narcotics fight". flightglobal.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Mexican Police Receive UH-60M Black Hawks". Air International. Vol. 80 no. 3. March 2011. p. 28. ISSN 0306-5634.
- "Mexican State of Jalisco takes delivery of S-70i". helihub.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Third Black Hawk for the Polish National Police". Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
- "Black Hawki z Mielca w Arabii Saudyjskiej". altair.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Sayfalar - Bell 429 Album". Havacilik.pol.tr. Archived from the original on 2014-05-06. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
- "L.A. County Fire Air Operations". lacounty.gov. Archived from the original on 2015-03-15. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
- "Black Hawk Made: A Peek Inside the Sikorsky Factory". wired.com. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "CPB S-70". Demand media. Archived from the original on 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
- "SDFD Debuts New Firehawk Helicopter". NBC 7 San Diego. Retrieved 2019-12-13.
- "CAL FIRE Places Purchase Order for FIREHAWK® Aircraft". Media - Lockheed Martin. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- "Hong Kong Government Flying Service S-70". Archived from the original on 7 January 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- "Model T700-701C". General Electric Aviation. General Electric. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
- Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Bibliography
- Leoni, Ray D. (2007). Black Hawk, The Story of a World Class Helicopter. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). ISBN 978-1-56347-918-2.
- Tomajczyk, Stephen F. (2003). Black Hawk. MBI. ISBN 0-7603-1591-4.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sikorsky S-70. |
- S-70 Black Hawk family page at Sikorsky.com
- S-70 Seahawk family page at Sikorsky.com
- S-70i page at Sikorsky.com
- Sikorsky UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk Family page on centennialofflight.net
- Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk page on vectorsite.net
- Firehawk, Inc web site
- Sikorsky - Aerofiles.com
- HELIS.com Sikorsky S-70/H-70 Hawk Family Database
- S-70i Black Hawk multirole combat helicopter(Air recognition)