Forca Aerea Portuguesa, December 07, 2024 - The third UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter for the Portuguese Air Force arrived December 6th, at 7:40 AM at the No. 8 Air Base (BA8) in Ovar.
This is the third of nine UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that will equip Squadron 551 - "Panteras," reactivated at the end of last year for the mission of fighting rural fires.
The helicopter was transported by a Portuguese Air Force KC-390 aircraft, which departed on Wednesday, December 4th, for Dothan, Alabama, in the United States of America (USA), with technical stops at the No. 4 Air Base, Lajes, and Providence, USA.
The return flight began the following day, destined for BA8, making technical stops in Providence and at the No. 11 Air Base, Beja. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, designed for aerial firefighting and force projection on the ground, can carry a team of 12 fully equipped firefighters and has the capacity to carry up to 2,950 liters of water per drop. With a flight autonomy of 2 hours and 30 minutes, it is a medium twin-engine utility helicopter, with a range of 555 km and a maximum speed of 314 km/h.
As this is a mission that requires extreme experience, until 2026, the Portuguese Air Force crews responsible for operating the UH-60 Black Hawk will undergo a very rigorous training phase to build capacity under all safety conditions.
It should be recalled that, in 2018, the Portuguese Government transferred the state's own means for the mission of fighting rural fires to the management of the Air Force. Following this, contracts were signed for the acquisition of six UH-60 Black Hawks, largely financed with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). The first two helicopters were delivered to the Air Force in November 2023, and the remaining ones are expected to be delivered by 2025.
More recently, in September of this year, the Air Force signed a contract for the acquisition of three more medium bomber UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, through a public tender authorized by Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 27/2021, of March 4th, thus increasing the fleet to nine.
These helicopters are also largely financed by EU funds, through the RRP. The delivery of these last three helicopters is scheduled for up to 2026.
This is the third of nine UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters that will equip Squadron 551 - "Panteras," reactivated at the end of last year for the mission of fighting rural fires.
The helicopter was transported by a Portuguese Air Force KC-390 aircraft, which departed on Wednesday, December 4th, for Dothan, Alabama, in the United States of America (USA), with technical stops at the No. 4 Air Base, Lajes, and Providence, USA.
The return flight began the following day, destined for BA8, making technical stops in Providence and at the No. 11 Air Base, Beja. The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, designed for aerial firefighting and force projection on the ground, can carry a team of 12 fully equipped firefighters and has the capacity to carry up to 2,950 liters of water per drop. With a flight autonomy of 2 hours and 30 minutes, it is a medium twin-engine utility helicopter, with a range of 555 km and a maximum speed of 314 km/h.
As this is a mission that requires extreme experience, until 2026, the Portuguese Air Force crews responsible for operating the UH-60 Black Hawk will undergo a very rigorous training phase to build capacity under all safety conditions.
It should be recalled that, in 2018, the Portuguese Government transferred the state's own means for the mission of fighting rural fires to the management of the Air Force. Following this, contracts were signed for the acquisition of six UH-60 Black Hawks, largely financed with funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). The first two helicopters were delivered to the Air Force in November 2023, and the remaining ones are expected to be delivered by 2025.
More recently, in September of this year, the Air Force signed a contract for the acquisition of three more medium bomber UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, through a public tender authorized by Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 27/2021, of March 4th, thus increasing the fleet to nine.
These helicopters are also largely financed by EU funds, through the RRP. The delivery of these last three helicopters is scheduled for up to 2026.
Arrival of third Black Hawk for the Portuguese Air Force
UH-60A Black Hawk 29803 ( Força Aérea Portuguesa )
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| These would be ideal for the United Rotorcraft Firehawk tanks! 👍🏼 |
| So that’s where helicopters come from! |
| I didn't know that there were still Alphas out there. |
See also |
UH-60A Black Hawk in
Força Aérea Portuguesa 
Arista Aviation State of Alabama Esq 551
Esquadra 551 Força Aérea Portuguesa Portuguese Air Force 
