A Swedish Black Hawk helicopter being fitted for an auxiliary extended range fuel tank that can be carried inside the main cabin. (Swedish Air Force)
Sweden is upgrading its fleet of Sikorsky UH-60M (HKP 16 in national service) Black Hawk medium-lift helicopters to afford them 50% greater range.
The Swedish Air Force (SwAF) announced the work on 31 July, saying that US Army personnel were in Sweden to plumb the country's helicopters for the 200 US gallon (approximately 750 litre) auxiliary fuel tank to be carried inside the main cabin for ferry flights over extended ranges.
“All HKP 16s in the Swedish Armed Forces … are adapted to be able to use an extra fuel tank that can be mounted in the cabin if necessary,” the SwAF said, adding, “The modification has been ongoing since the autumn of 2023, and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.”
As noted in the announcement, some of the SwAF's 15 Black Hawks had already been plumbed for and used the auxiliary fuel tank for operations over Mali in 2022.
“When the modification is complete, all HKP 16s will be able to use the extra tank. This gives the units greater freedom of action and increases the availability of our helicopter units,” the SwAF said.
For more information on the international Black Hawk programme, please seeParis Air Show 2023: PZL Mielec prepared to increase Polish Black Hawk production to meet demand .
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