Latvia has received the first two of an eventual four Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the USA.
Arriving at Lielvarde air base on 11 December, the rotorcraft pair were transferred via a US Air Force Boeing C-17.
“This is a long-awaited addition to the inventory that allows the air force to achieve a new level of capability by replacing aged Soviet [Mil] Mi-17s with new and advanced Black Hawk helicopters,” says defence minister Artis Pabriks.
Riga ordered the four Black Hawks in 2018 through a government-to-government deal worth €175 million ($185 million), including $15.5 million of co-financing from Washington. The remaining two helicopters will arrive by the end of 2023.
Dominic Perry is deputy editor of Flight International but also contributes extensively to flightglobal.com. Although specialising in the coverage of the helicopter industry, he has written on most topics in aerospace – be they commercial, defence or business aviation. In addition, there has been an increasing focus on the decarbonisation of the industry and zero-emission flight initiatives.View full Profile
