After being officially launched on October 7, 2021 in Pennsylvania, the UH-60V Black Hawk, (label V implies Victor) is now reported to have completed initial operational tests. The tests are said to be carried out under realistic battlefield conditions, a total of five UH-60Vs having completed 200 flight hours in this phase.
Quoted from breakingdefense.com (22/8/2022), "The success of this initial operational test allows the US Army to make an informed decision about the UH-60V's transition to full-level production," said Lt. Col. Howard Swanson, UH-60V Product Manager. at the Program Executive Office for Aviation, said in a statement.
Initial operational tests began on July 5, 2022 with three weeks of preliminary testing, while record testing took place between July 28 and August 5. Testing took place under “realistic battlefield conditions” and five UH-60Vs completed a total of 200 flight hours.
According to the release, the Army Operational Test Command report will be released in 30 days, while the Army Test and Evaluation Command Evaluation report is scheduled for release in December. It said the initial operational test was an "important milestone" on the "path" to full-rate production, though it was unclear when that would begin.
The US Army recently awarded Black Hawk manufacturer Sikorsky a contract worth up to $2.3 billion to build 120 more Black Hawk M variant helicopters by 2026. The service is in the process of developing a helicopter, called Future Long-Range Assault. Aircraft, to replace the old Black Hawk series. Textron Bell and Sikorsky competed for the contract.
In addition, the US Army requested $178.7 million in funding to procure 28 kits for the UH-60V program in its fiscal 2023 budget request.
The UH-60V was developed with a focus on improving the capabilities of the aging UH-60A and L fleet. Upgrades from the UH-60V include an upgraded digital glass cockpit, certified GPS RNAV database and advanced flight planning and mission capability. For the initial stage, there are 60 UH-60V units that are planned to be worked on from the conversion of the UH-60L variant.
The UH-60V's digital cockpit provides pilots with increased situational awareness across a variety of situations and missions. Chief Warrant Officer 4 Frank Madeira, a standardization pilot and instrument evaluator at EAATS (Eastern Army National Guard Aviation Training Site), said the UH-60V provides a modern, all-digital avionics architecture at a lower cost than the cockpit of the UH-60L generation.
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“The modernized PVI (pilot vehicle interface) gives the National Guard a distinct advantage in its ability to support digitally integrated modern warfare,” said Madeira, who has 18 years of experience as a Black Hawk pilot.
One of the vendors involved in the UH-60V project is Northrop Grumman, a manufacturer and provider of this champion defense solution providing what is called an integrated mission equipment package. This system replaces the presence of all analog to digital elements in the Black Hawk. With integrated computing, the UH-60V is said to have adopted the most advanced avionics system in the US Army.
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The solution offered by Northrop Grumman is the Modular Open Systems Architecture (MOSA). With an open architecture system, operators are free to work with multiple developers to enhance capabilities. By breaking vendor locks, the system drives competition and allows for more frequent upgrades to adapt to dynamic missions.
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