A US Army UH-60M is deployed during Exercise ‘Talisman Sabre' in Queensland, Australia, in July 2023. (US Army/Sgt Ashunteia Smith)
Australian special operations forces (SOF) will receive an additional four Lockheed Martin UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters by the end of 2024 bringing its total fleet size to 12, a company official told Janes at the Land Forces 2024 exhibition in Melbourne, which runs from 11 to 13 September.
The airframes will join the Australian Army's current inventory of eight UH-60M helicopters, which are operational with 6th Aviation Regiment out of Holsworthy Barracks in New South Wales.
The Black Hawks are replacing the MRH-90 Taipans, which have been phased out of service after failing to live up to expectations, according to Australian defence sources. A fleet of 47 MRH-90s, used to facilitate the insertion and extraction of SOF teams, was grounded in June 2021, having been operated by the army and navy since 2004.
Speaking at Land Forces 2024, Rodahn Gibbon, Lockheed Martin Australia's UH-60M programme manager, confirmed the helicopters are already flying in support of Australian Special Operations Command (SOCOMD) 1st and 2nd commando regiments, which are tasked with domestic counter-terrorism missions.
Gibbon said he expected the aircraft to be forward deployed as detachments to other operating bases across Australia, including Perth and Darwin, depending upon training and operational demands.
According to Gibbon, UH-60Ms have already flown more than 1,000 hours in Australia in basic configuration. He said the first 12 aircraft will be retrofitted with a series of SOF-specific upgrades at a later date. Gibbon would not comment on specific upgrades but said modifications are being considered by the Australian Army in collaboration with the US Army.
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