The Portuguese Ministry of National Defense has taken another step toward establishing the country’s first modern Army aviation capability through the HAPE program. The initiative will provide the Portuguese Army with its own fleet of Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for tactical mobility, medical evacuation and multi-role support missions.

The current HAPE acquisition is structured in phases. The contract signed through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) covers the procurement and modernization of an initial batch of three UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, with deliveries scheduled between late 2026 and mid-2028. Beyond this first tranche, the Portuguese government's broader HAPE investment plan provides a framework for expanding the Army's future Black Hawk fleet to up to five helicopters as additional funding and procurement phases are implemented.

The project represents a historic organizational change for Portugal’s armed forces, marking the first time in the modern era that the Portuguese Army will operate its own organic helicopter capability rather than relying exclusively on the Portuguese Air Force for rotary-wing transport and battlefield support.

The HAPE program was launched following approval of Portugal’s revised Military Programming Law (Lei de Programação Militar), which allocated approximately €50 million to establish the Army’s independent aviation capability. The funding covers aircraft acquisition, infrastructure development and personnel training.

According to Defense Minister Nuno Melo, the program represents a significant increase in operational autonomy for the Portuguese Army by providing dedicated air assets capable of supporting troop movements, medical evacuation and humanitarian assistance without depending exclusively on Air Force availability.

The future fleet will be based at Tancos Military Airfield, where infrastructure improvements are underway to support the new capability. The helicopters will be assigned to the newly established Support, Protection and Evacuation Helicopter Unit (Unidade de Helicópteros de Apoio, Proteção e Evacuação – UHAPE), which will become responsible for operating the Army's rotary-wing assets.

Planned missions include tactical troop transport, special operations support, combat service support, medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), personnel recovery, disaster response and civil protection operations. Pilot and maintenance personnel are already entering qualification programs ahead of aircraft deliveries.

The procurement is being managed through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which is conducting the international acquisition process on behalf of Portugal.

The HAPE program builds upon Portugal’s recent experience operating the Black Hawk by the Portuguese Air Force, which introduced modernized UH-60 helicopters for aerial firefighting and utility missions, establishing national experience with the type and creating the foundation for expanded Black Hawk operations across the Portuguese armed forces.

Industry Background


The Portuguese Army has confirmed that the agreement ceremony for the contract signed between the NSPA and Sahar Group took place in Miami, Florida. The contract covers the acquisition of UH-60 helicopters for the Army's Support, Protection and Evacuation Helicopters (HAPE) program.

Sahar Group, headquartered in Miami, specializes in the modernization, maintenance and support of the UH-60 Black Hawk and S-70 helicopter family. The company provides depot-level maintenance, structural repairs, engineering, avionics integration and mission-system upgrades, supporting military and government operators worldwide.

Previous Portuguese Black Hawk acquisitions have involved modernization work by Arista Aviation Services, United Aero Group (UAG) and Ace Aeronautics, while Portuguese aerospace company OGMA is expected to play an important role in long-term maintenance and in-country fleet support.

Once operational, the HAPE fleet will significantly expand Portugal’s military helicopter capability while aligning the Portuguese Army with the organizational structure employed by many NATO member states that maintain dedicated Army aviation units.