Australia has announced that it will back out of a deal it was supposed to have with Paris for the purchase of French helicopters, indicating that it will be replaced by a deal on American Black Hawk helicopters, and some observers expect the issue to lead to a renewed crisis known as the “submarine crisis” of 2021 between NATO allies (Washington and Paris), when Australia decided to abandon French submarines in favor of American ones.
The Australian Army is ranked 16th in the world, and the Air Force is ranked 30th among the 145 largest air forces in the world. The Australian Air Force has 108 helicopters, including 22 attack helicopters, according to statistics from the US “Global Firepower Site” on 2023
What are the capabilities of the Black Hawk?
The Black Hawk refers to a multipurpose military helicopter developed by the United States of America and used by other countries, according to the American company Lockheed Martin. The aircraft can be used in combat and non-combat missions, including:
Transport of soldiers and special forces
Evacuation of troops from the battlefield
Air ambulance and transport of the wounded
Ground forces fire support
Bombardment of ground targets
Border Guard Patrols
Firefighting
Search and rescue
Disaster Relief Tasks
The United States has produced thousands of helicopters of this type, according to the US Military Factory website, which states that it includes models primarily:
Black Hawk “H-60”: It is used by the US Army and there are upgraded versions of it, “UH-60M”.
Black Hawk “S-70”: Export version from which there is an updated “S-70i” version.
According to the website, the US Army uses more than half of the Black Hawk helicopters produced.
What are the technical characteristics of the Black Hawk helicopter?
Length: 15.26 meters
Width: 16.36 meters
Height: 3.76 meters
Empty weight: 5.2 tons
Speed: 150 knots (about 370 km/h).
Range: 320 miles (about 570 km).
Helicopter payload: It can carry 1.1 tons of military equipment or 11 fully equipped soldiers.
Crew: two people.
What is a Black Hawk weapon?
External system with 4 attachment points for weapons
7.62 mm coaxial machine gun
Hellfire anti-tank missiles
12.7 mm multi-barreled machine gun
Anti-mine systems.
