Croatia has officially purchased eight additional UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters built by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), via U.S. government Foreign Military Sale, bringing the country’s Black Hawk fleet total to 12. The deal, which includes aircraft, organizational equipment, spare and repair parts, and associated support equipment, is a critical investment by Croatia and significantly bolsters its self-defense and security in the region and that of the NATO alliance. Croatia’s Black Hawks can support a range of roles, including troop lift, border security, counter-terrorism, medical evacuation, search-and-rescue, resupply or external lift, and combat support.
“We deeply value Croatia’s continued trust in the Black Hawk helicopter, which is operated by the U.S. and more than 35 other nations, including NATO allies, offering unmatched global and regional interoperability,” said Hamid Salim, vice president, Army and Air Force Systems at Sikorsky. “Croatia’s decision to acquire eight more of the latest generation UH-60M Black Hawks for its Armed Forces, tripling its fleet, will support ongoing modernization efforts and strengthen the Balkan region’s ability to deter current and future threats.”
The UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. All nations operating the Black Hawk, including a significant and growing number of NATO-member nations, benefit from a range of operational capabilities and a global ecosystem of more than 5,000 Hawk aircraft produced. Additionally, continued global investment in the UH-60M/S-70M Black Hawk has proven the aircraft to be the top choice for modernizing and replacing legacy medium-lift utility helicopter fleets. The Black Hawk has flexibility to conduct a variety of operations at greater ranges and in the most challenging environments, increasing survivability and overall effectiveness for 21st Century Security® missions.
Sikorsky Aircraft is an American aircraft manufacturer based in Stratford, Connecticut. It was established by the Russian aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky in 1923, and was among the first companies to manufacture helicopters for civilian and military use. It also produced seaplanes for passenger transport and surface vehicles such as trains and boats. Sikorsky was owned by United Technologies Corporation until November 2015, when it was sold to Lockheed Martin. On July 20, 2015, Lockheed Martin announced an agreement to purchase Sikorsky from UTC for $9.0 billion.
