Sikorsky S-70 H-60
1974 · Twin-engine turbine helicopter
The S-70 is a medium-lift helicopter developed initialy for the US Army in the 1970s as a replacement for the Bell Huey spawning later a large family of both military and civilian variants.
As a versatile family of medium-lift utility helicopters that first emerged in the 1970s as a response to the U.S. Army's need for a modern replacement for the UH-1 Iroquois. Winning the UTTAS competition in 1976, the S-70 was officially designated as the UH-60 Black Hawk and entered service in 1979, quickly becoming the backbone of tactical transport. Its mission profile is incredibly diverse, ranging from combat assault and troop transport to specialized roles like the naval SH-60 Seahawk for anti-submarine warfare and the HH-60 Pave Hawk for search and rescue.
After more than 50 years of continuous operation, the S-70's legacy is defined by its adaptability and global reach, with over 5,000 aircraft delivered to at least 35 countries and a presence in nearly every major conflict since its debut. This legacy continues to evolve through cutting-edge innovations like the S-70 Firehawk for aerial firefighting and the recently unveiled S-70UAS U-Hawk, a fully autonomous version designed for uncrewed cargo and strike missions. By digitizing its architecture and integrating autonomous MATRIX technology, Sikorsky ensures the platform remains relevant for the next half-century of military and civilian service.
As a versatile family of medium-lift utility helicopters that first emerged in the 1970s as a response to the U.S. Army's need for a modern replacement for the UH-1 Iroquois. Winning the UTTAS competition in 1976, the S-70 was officially designated as the UH-60 Black Hawk and entered service in 1979, quickly becoming the backbone of tactical transport. Its mission profile is incredibly diverse, ranging from combat assault and troop transport to specialized roles like the naval SH-60 Seahawk for anti-submarine warfare and the HH-60 Pave Hawk for search and rescue.
After more than 50 years of continuous operation, the S-70's legacy is defined by its adaptability and global reach, with over 5,000 aircraft delivered to at least 35 countries and a presence in nearly every major conflict since its debut. This legacy continues to evolve through cutting-edge innovations like the S-70 Firehawk for aerial firefighting and the recently unveiled S-70UAS U-Hawk, a fully autonomous version designed for uncrewed cargo and strike missions. By digitizing its architecture and integrating autonomous MATRIX technology, Sikorsky ensures the platform remains relevant for the next half-century of military and civilian service.
Derivatives & Versions
| JUH-60A | At least 7 airframes converted for evaluation and several testing purposes. | |
| UH-60A Black Hawk | 1977 | First generation Black Hawk for the US Army. |
| SH-60B Seahawk | 1979 | The Sikorsky S-70B-1 is the US Navy LAMPS (Light Airbone Multipurpose System) Mk3 platform and is deployed aboard frigates, destroyers, and cruisers. |
| EH-60A QuickFix | 1981 | US Army UH-60A modified for electronic warfare (EW) intended to locate, classify and disrupt enemy signal traffic. |
| MH-60G Pave Hawk | 1982 | USAF Special Operations Command (AFSOC) variant for insertion and recovery of special forces fitted with long-range fuel tanks, air-to-air refueling capability, FLIR and radar. |
| S-70B | 1984 | The B is the foreign export version for naval duties based on the Seahawk Customized variants included: Spain Australia Greece Turkey Brazil |
| S-70C | 1986 | Export version |
| HH-60G Pave Hawk | 1987 | USAF variant. |
| → S-70 | 1987 | |
| S-70A-11 Black Hawk | 1987 | export version for Jordanian Air Force |
| S-70A-14 | 1987 | export version for Brunei |
| S-70A-9 Black Hawk | 1987 | Export version for Australia, assembled by Hawker de Havilland. |
| S-70B-2 Seahawk | 1987 | SH-60B export variant for Royal Australian Navy assembled by ASTA in Australia |
| SH-60F Oceanhawk | 1987 | The Sikorsky S-70B-4 was the US Navy carrier-borne variant of the Seahawk developed to replace the SH-3 Sea King. |
| HH-60H Rescue Hawk | 1988 | The Sikorsky S-70B-5 was developed in conjunction with the US Coast Guard HH-60J. |
| MH-60L Black Hawk | 1988 | US Army special operations variant of the UH-60L produced as an interim version pending fielding of the ad-hoc MH-60K. |
| S-70A-17 Yarasa | 1988 | UH-60A Black Hawk export variant for Turkey |
| S-70A-19 Black Hawk | 1988 | A single aircraft known as Westland WS-70L |
| S-70B-1 Seahawk | 1988 | SH-60B variant for Spanish Navy designated HS. |
| UH-60L Black Hawk | 1989 | Second generation Black Hawk for the US Army. |
| VH-60N White Hawk | 1989 | Flown by USMC HMX-1 and supports the executive transport mission for the president of the United States. |
| → WS-70 Black Hawk | 1989 | Just one WS. |
| HH-60L Black Hawk | 1990 | The HH-60L is an US Army Black Hawk UH-60L modified for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC) or in military terms Casualty Evacuation (CASEVAC, callsign dustoff) with external rescue hoist, integrated patient configuration system, environmental control system, on-board oxygen system (OBOGS), and crashworthy ambulatory seats. |
| S-70A-1 Desert Hawk | 1990 | export version for the Royal Saudi Army. |
| S-70A-18 Black Hawk | 1990 | South Korea locally built variant. |
| S-70A-21 Black Hawk | 1990 | export version for Egypt |
| S-70A-5 | 1990 | Philippine Air Force presidential aircraft |
| S-70A-27 Black Hawk | 1991 | export SAR version for the Hong Kong Government Flying Service |
| HH-60J Jayhawk | 1992 | Sikorsky S-70B-5 / HH-60J for the United States Coast Guard. |
| MH-60K Black Hawk | 1992 | US Army special operations variant powered by uprated T700-GE-701C engines and inflight refueling probe. |
| S-70A-24 Black Hawk | 1992 | Export version for Mexico air force based on UH-60L. |
| S-70A-26 Black Hawk | 1992 | export variant for Morocco |
| S-70A-28 Yarasa | 1993 | UH-60L Black Hawk export variant for Turkey |
| S-70A-30 Black Hawk | 1993 | export VIP version for Argentine Air Force |
| S-70B-6 Aegean Hawk | 1994 | export variant for the Greek navy |
| S-70A-34 Black Hawk | 1997 | |
| S-70A-36 Black Hawk | 1997 | export version for the Brazilian Army |
| S-70B-7 Seahawk | 1997 | export version for the Royal Thai Navy |
| S-70A-39 Black Hawk | 1998 | export VIP version for Fuerza Aerea de Chile |
| S-70A-50 Black Hawk | 1998 | Export version for Israel, Peace Hawk program |
| → S-92 | 1998 | The S-92 is a twin-engine medium-lift helicopter for the civil and military helicopter market developed from the S-70 Black Hawk. |
| MH-60R Seahawk | 1999 | The MH-60R is the newest variant of the US Navy Seahawk replacing both the SH-60B and SH-60F as their primary ship-embarked helicopter. |
| S-70 Firehawk | 1999 | Firefighting variant equipped with a 1,000-gallon tank to carry water and fire suppressant. |
| S-70A-32 | 1999 | |
| S-70A-33 | 1999 | Brunei VIP variant |
| AH-60L | 2000 | export version for Colombia as COIN attack aircraft equipped with improved electronics and firing system. |
| MH-60S Seahawk | 2000 | The MH-60S Seahawk was developed for the US Navy as a multi mission helicopter undertaking roles of anti-surface warfare, vertical replenishment, combat search and rescue (CSAR), special warfare support and airborne mine countermeasures. |
| S-70A-41 Black Hawk | 2001 | export version for Colombian Army |
| S-70A-55 Black Hawk | 2001 | export version for Israel named Yanshuf |
| S-70B-28 Seahawk | 2001 | SH-60B export variant for Turkish Navy |
| S-70A-42 Black Hawk | 2002 | export version for Austria |
| S-70A-43 Black Hawk | 2002 | export version for Royal Thai Army |
| UH-60M Black Hawk | 2003 | Third generation Black Hawk for the US Army. |
| HH-60M Black Hawk | 2007 | US Army medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) version of the UH-60M Black Hawk to replace the HH-60L featuring full medical evacuation mission equipment and an external rescue hoist. |
| MH-60T Jayhawk | 2007 | USCG modification of their Sikorsky model S-70B-5 / HH-60J. |
| S-70i Black Hawk | 2010 | The S-70i is the UH-60M manufactured for the international market at Sikorsky’s PZL Mielec facility in Poland |
| HH-60U | 2011 | Lockheed-Martin proposal to replace the UH-1N Huey USAF fleet. |
| MH-60M Black Hawk | 2011 | US Army special operations variant of the UH-60M used only by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment ( 160 SOAR ). |
| OPV Black Hawk | 2012 | The Optionally Piloted Vehicle (OPV) Black Hawk program was launched by the US Army Research, Development and Engineering Command (AMRDEC). |
| → Z-20 | 2013 | First flew on December 23, 2013 the Z-20 is a 10-ton class transport helicopter comparable to the Sikorsky S-70C Black Hawk which entered service in Chinese Army in 1985. |
| Commercial UH-60 | 2014 | In 2015 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a groundbreaking restricted-category type certification to BHI H60 Helicopters, allowing commercial operation of former US Army UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters for firefighting and special operations. |
| UH-60V Black Hawk | 2017 | The UH-60V is an Army upgrade of the UH-60L with Northrop Grumman / Curtiss-Wright glass cockpit comparable to the UH-60M First announced in 2014, is a collaborative effort between the U. |
| S-70M Black Hawk | 2018 | First announced in 2018 as the commercial name for the S-70i assembled in Poland for the international military market. |
| → T70 | 2018 | Turkish variant of the S-70i Black Hawk under the TUHP, Turkish Utility Helicopter Program. |
| HH-60W Jolly Green II | 2019 | The Combat Rescue Helicopter, CRH, is the new US Air Force Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) helicopter to replace the HH-60G Pave Hawk in the personnel recovery missions. |
| S-70UAS U-Hawk | 2025 | Based on the experience gained with the OPV Black Hawk, Sikorsky unveiled the S-70UAS during AUSA 2025. |