The United States may already have a powerful military force, but that does not mean Uncle Sam has to stop building up its muscles. In fact, the U.S. Army recently took the veil off the UH-60V—the newest variant of the battle-tested UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter—at the Pennsylvania National Guard’s Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site (EAATS) at Fort Indiantown Gap.
Victor-Model Black Hawks With Digital Cockpits
EAATS took delivery of six UH-60Vs from the Utility Helicopter Program Office (UHPO) in late July 2021, becoming the first unit equipped with the aircraft. The Victor variant of the UH-60 is essentially a recapitalized UH-60L (Lima) model. While the UH-60L features an analog cockpit, the recapitalization overhauls and converts it to the Victor-model Black Hawk with a digital cockpit. Upgrades include an upgraded digital glass cockpit, certified GPS RNAV database, as well as advanced flight planning and mission capability.
Thanks to its modern digital cockpit, UH-60V offers similar levels of functionality and capability as the Mike-model Black hawk (UH-60M). This digital cockpit should increase the situational awareness of the pilot while easing the work load. The now more capable UH-60V becomes the first aircraft in the U.S. Army with an open system architecture. In a sense, it is now a more powerful military helicopter.
Recapitalizing Black Hawks Costs Less Than Buying New Ones
Furthermore, since the UH-60V has a nearly identical pilot vehicle interface (PVI) to the UH-60M, the U.S. Army can offer a common training environment that could help cut training costs to its pilot. Right after the arrival of the six UH-60V Black Hawks in July, instructor pilots at EEATS commenced their training. They will, in turn, train new aviators to fly the new Black Hawks on air.
According to Chief Warrant Officer 4 Frank Madeira, a standardization pilot and instrument evaluator at EAATS, the UH-60V delivers a lower-cost all-digital modernized avionics architecture to the legacy cockpit of Lima model. By recapitalizing the current legacy fleet that includes UH-60A and UH-60L Black Hawks, the US Army can have access to the capabilities of a new helicopter while being not as expensive.
More UH-60V Helicopters Set For US Army
The U.S. Army is planning to recapitalize around 760 UH-60L helicopters to the UH-60V configuration. While the EAATS is the first organic unit to fly the Victor-model Black Hawks, the 1-106th Aviation Regiment will have the honor of being the first tactical unit to receive the UH-60V, with deliveries set for completion by the end of fiscal year 2022.
Source: United States Army, National Guard