Aerial Warfare

Greece Enhances its Hawk Fleet with Purchase of 35 Lockheed Martin UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters

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Greece Enhances its Hawk Fleet with Purchase of 35 Lockheed Martin UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters
Greece Enhances its Hawk Fleet with Purchase of 35 Lockheed Martin UH-60M Black Hawk Helicopters

The U.S. Government has awarded Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), a Foreign Military Sale contract to provide 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to Greece. The deal includes 35 aircraft for the Hellenic Army as well as personnel training, training equipment and an initial provisioning package, which will significantly improve self-defense and bolster interoperability within the nation and with NATO allies. With its existing S-70B fleet and newly acquired MH-60R maritime helicopters for the Hellenic Navy, Greece will operate several variants of the Hawk family and benefit from the operational and sustainment advantages of fleet commonality. 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.

“Our partnership with Greece spans decades, and we are pleased to see the nation’s continued trust in Sikorsky helicopters as Greece will benefit from an integrated Hawk family of aircraft supporting national security and humanitarian missions,” said Hamid Salim, Sikorsky vice president of Army and Air Force Systems. “The Black Hawk helicopter offers Greece a range of operational capabilities and a global ecosystem of more than 5,000 Hawk aircraft operated by 36 countries around the world.

“The newly contracted UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters are an additional testament for the long-standing relationship Lockheed Martin shares with Greece, its Armed Forces and defense industries for over 80 years,” said Costas Papadopoulos, international business development executive director for Greece at Lockheed Martin. “The Black Hawk helicopter is the workhorse of multi-mission medium lift aircraft and will enable Greece to perform key operations in the region. These helicopters will join Greece’s upgraded F-16Vs, new MH-60Rs, existing F-16s, C-130s, and S-70Bs, as well as future F-35s. This enhanced fleet will provide Greece with extended capabilities for air, land, and sea operations, contributing to the nation’s security for years to come.”

Greece will be the 12th European country to operate the Black Hawk helicopter. In 2024, the U.S. Government has awarded Sikorsky contracts to manufacture and deliver a total of 84 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters to countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America, further proving the Black Hawk is the premier multi-role utility helicopter around the globe. On Oct. 23, Sikorsky also received UH-60M contract awards to grow the Black Hawk fleets in Austria, Brazil, Sweden and Thailand. In July, Sikorsky received contracts for Black Hawks in Croatia and Jordan; in June, Romania also added to its fleet of S-70 Black Hawks, which share the same pedigree as the UH-60M. The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky was owned by United Technologies Corporation until November 2015, when it was sold to Lockheed Martin.

Building on Lockheed Martin’s partnership with Greece of more than 80 years, the company stands ready to support Greece and deliver capabilities such as F-35s, F-16s and C-130s, in addition to Hawk aircraft that will increase the country’s deterrent capabilities and interoperability with allied nations. The Lockheed Martin Corporation is an American defense and aerospace manufacturer with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland. As of January 2022, Lockheed Martin employs approximately 115,000 employees worldwide, including about 60,000 engineers and scientists. Reports from 2024 estimate that Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) holds a market cap of around $139.7 billion. Lockheed Martin operates in four business segments: Aeronautics, Missiles and Fire Control (MFC), Rotary and Mission Systems (RMS), and Space.

Greece has purchased 35 Sikorsky-built UH-60M Black Hawks via the U.S. government, adding to its Hawk fleet and supporting ongoing defense modernization efforts.
Greece has purchased 35 Sikorsky-built UH-60M Black Hawks via the U.S. government, adding to its Hawk fleet and supporting ongoing defense modernization efforts. (Photo by Lockheed Martin)
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