How Special Is A Blackhawk Helicopter?
The UH-60 Black Hawk can be
described using one word: survivor.
Self-sealing, crash-capable
fuel tanks were chosen to limit the threat posed by small-arms fire or hard
landings. The tail rotor blades incorporated into the new design were made of ballistically
resilient materials to minimize the chance of a tail hit, which would
compromise control of the rotorcraft. The main rotors saw a similar treatment,
and an armored cockpit was added as the helicopter began to take shape.
Redundant systems were worked
into the designs of the flight controls, hydraulics, and electrical system to
increase the craft’s ability to remain airborne after taking fire. In order to
support all that weight, the UH-60 leveraged two engines and a four-blade
propeller, which offered a cruising speed of over 100 mph and the ability to
lift as much as 8,000 pounds with 1,000 pounds slung underneath.
The Black Hawk was also designed to be broken down and transported in heavy-lift aircraft
like the C-130, allowing it to be deployed quickly anywhere in the world.
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