Army's UH-60M Black Hawks gained their sea legs at recent first-of-class flight trials, completing the first phase of the helicopter's Australian shipboard operations certification.
The trials, conducted by Navy's Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit, assessed the aircraft's suitability for operating off the deck and its integration with the ship's aviation facilities, and determined its limitations for ship-board operations.
A Black Hawk from the 6th Aviation Regiment, Holsworthy, was used for the trials conducted at Jervis Bay aboard the Navy's multi-role aviation training craft, Merchant Vessel (MV) Sycamore.
Navy MH-60R Seahawk test pilot Lieutenant Peter Jacobs, who was at the controls of the helicopter, said the Seahawk's characteristics were very similar to those of the Black Hawk.
"The Black Hawk is a great aircraft," Lieutenant Jacobs said.
"It's very similar to the Seahawk, however, as the Black Hawk is much lighter there are many other operations and manoeuvres you can conduct with it.
"Overall, the biggest challenge for ship-board operations occur in higher sea states when there is high deck motion. You also have to be mindful of high wind conditions that can lead to additional turbulence around the ship and exceedances in aircraft limitations."
A member of Army's Aviation Command, which was also involved in the trials, said it was: "a little trickier than land operations, because while the aircraft is moving in three dimensions, the landing surface is also moving in three dimensions, making it quite dynamic".
"As an aircrew member, we help the pilots operate the aircraft in a safe manner. We are the eyes and ears rear of them. We have to make sure the tail wheel is over the deck as it is located further back on a Black Hawk than on other helicopters. We also provide extra sets of eyes to ensure clearances between the rotor and the ship," he said.
"Overall, the transition to the UH-60M has been great. It's an aircraft I am familiar with because I was previously a crew member on the S-70A-9 Black Hawks operated by Army. Our new helicopters are interoperable with US Army Black Hawks and other worldwide users. This means we can operate this aircraft efficiently wherever we go."
Forty UH-60M Black Hawks are being delivered to Army under the UH-60M Black Hawk Utility Helicopter Project (LAND 4507).
