PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company, delivered the first four new-generation, European manufactured S-70M Black Hawk utility helicopters to Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, with two more aircraft on schedule to arrive by the end of 2023. Purchased as part of the European Union’s VISION 2020 project, the intended missions for Romania’s new Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters include maritime and land search and rescue, firefighting, transport and medical emergency support. An additional Black Hawk, procured within the European HeliPol project, is scheduled for delivery before the end of the year and is allocated for the Romanian Police, increasing its operational capacity. The helicopters are part of a framework agreement that will see up to 12 Polish-built S-70M Black Hawks supplied to Romania over the next four years.
“Arrival of the first Black Hawk helicopters in Romania is a historic event. The Black Hawk is the most capable and dependable helicopter for crews who conduct vital lifesaving and firefighting missions. These multi-role helicopters bring flexibility to conduct rescue missions at greater ranges and in the most challenging environments, and with increased survivability,” said Dr. Dennis Goege, vice president for Central and Eastern Europe at Lockheed Martin.
“The Black Hawk helicopters delivered to Romania will provide increased readiness when responding to emergency situations. The S-70 Black Hawk helicopter, designed to demanding military standards, is a dual-purpose platform that is ideal for demanding long-range and high-altitude missions ranging from disaster relief, search and rescue, medical transport, external cargo transport, firefighting and maritime patrol,” – said Janusz Zakr?cki, PZL Mielec President, General Director.
Romania joins a global family of Black Hawk operators and becomes the 11th country and 18th customer for Black Hawk helicopters built by PZL Mielec, Poland’s largest exporter of aerospace equipment. The cabin of both the land and maritime variant Black Hawks will accommodate a medical suite designed and provided by DELTAMED, a Cluj-Napoca-based integrator of emergency vehicles outfitted for patient care and rescue. The multi-role S-70 Black Hawk features digital avionics, powerful GE engines, high strength airframe structures and composite wide chord rotor blades that yield increased situational awareness, survivability, and performance.
PZL Mielec (Polskie Zak?ady Lotnicze – Polish Aviation Works), formerly WSK-Mielec (Wytwórnia Sprz?tu Komunikacyjnego) and WSK “PZL-Mielec” is a Polish aerospace manufacturer based in Mielec. It is the largest aerospace manufacturer in postwar Poland. In 2007, it was acquired by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, which retained the brand name. Between 1948 and 2014, the company manufactured approximately 15,600 aircraft. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin Corporation is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 116,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services.
