UH-60M Black Hawk.

Technical Data

• Design

  The UH-60M Black Hawk retains the basic configuration and dimensions of the UH-60 family while redesigning many of the components that determine payload, high-weight performance, structural life, and maintainability. It is a twin-engine utility helicopter with a four-blade main rotor, four-blade canted tail rotor, fixed wheeled landing gear, variable-incidence stabilator, and two large lateral cabin doors. Overall length with the rotors operating is 64 ft 10 in (19.76 m), fuselage length is 50 ft 7 in (15.43 m), main rotor diameter is 53 ft 8 in (16.36 m), tail rotor diameter is 11 ft (3.35 m), and overall height is 16 ft 10 in-17 ft 6 in (5.13-5.33 m). Maximum gross weight remains 22,000 lb (9,979 kg), but useful load increases to 6,882 lb (3,122 kg), compared with 5,924 lb for the UH-60L.

  The semi-monocoque fuselage places the cockpit forward, the troop and cargo cabin in the center, the engines and transmission above the cabin, and the stabilator and tail rotor on the aft tail structure. The UH-60M introduced strengthened transmission-support beams, revised upper-deck structures, new servo rails, machined aerostructures, and composite components to address fatigue, cracking, corrosion, and increasing aircraft weight. These modifications were sufficiently extensive that new-build UH-60Ms became more attractive than rebuilding large numbers of aging UH-60A/L airframes, providing new structural life together with new dynamic components.

  The UH-60M has an empty weight of 12,500 lb (5,670 kg) and a primary mission weight of 19,382 lb (8,792 kg), compared with 11,782 lb and 17,706 lb respectively for the UH-60L. Despite gaining 718 lb (326 kg) in empty weight, useful load rises by 958 lb (435 kg) to 6,882 lb. The improvement is particularly visible at operational weights: at 18,000 lb, vertical climb reaches 994 ft/min, compared with 592 ft/min for the UH-60L, a 68% increase.

  The UH-60M uses four high-lift wide-chord all-composite main rotor blades with swept anhedral tips. The blades have 1.74 in (4 cm) more chord than the preceding Black Hawk blades while retaining the same 53 ft 8 in rotor diameter, increasing blade area without enlarging the rotor footprint. Combined with the T700-GE-701D engines, the new rotor provides more than 1,000 lb (450 kg) of additional useful load. At 16,800 lb gross weight, vertical climb improves from 1,315 ft/min on the UH-60L to 1,646 ft/min on the UH-60M, while at 18,000 lb it rises from 592 to 994 ft/min.

  Directional control is provided by a four-blade 11 ft (3.35 m) tail rotor mounted on a canted pylon. The cant allows part of the rotor's thrust to contribute vertical lift while the remaining component provides anti-torque and yaw control. A variable-incidence stabilator mounted across the tail cone automatically changes angle according to flight conditions to control longitudinal stability and fuselage attitude. On the UH-60M, stabilator operation is integrated with the digital flight-control architecture, coordinating it with the Stability Augmentation System and other control functions.

  The M-model combines its more powerful engines and wide-chord rotor with an Improved Durability Gearbox rated in the 3,400 shp class, compared with roughly 2,828 shp for the earlier UH-60A transmission. Each engine independently supplies the main gearbox, which reduces engine rotational speed and distributes power to the main rotor, tail rotor, and accessory systems. Because combined engine output can exceed the transmission's continuous power capacity, the helicopter cannot simply transmit the sum of both maximum engine ratings directly to the rotor. Instead, the stronger gearbox allows more of the T700-GE-701D's available power to be exploited during high-weight takeoff, hover, and climb while maintaining drivetrain durability margins.

  The UH-60M retains fixed wheeled landing gear, avoiding the weight and complexity of a retractable installation while supporting operations from unimproved landing zones. The gear is also an integral part of the helicopter's crash-energy management system, working with crashworthy seating, structural deformation and crash-resistant fuel-system features to progressively absorb impact energy. Flight-critical systems are redundant, while the physically separated twin-engine installation reduces the probability that localized damage will disable both engines. The helicopter can continue flight on one engine when weight, altitude and environmental conditions remain within the applicable limits.

  The cabin provides 11.21 m³ of internal volume and 8.18 m² of usable floor area, with 17 cargo tie-down rings and another 0.58 m³ of storage in two compartments above the fuel cells. The standard U.S. Army air-assault configuration accommodates 11 fully equipped soldiers, while alternative seating arrangements can accommodate up to 12 troops depending on configuration. Large sliding doors on both sides permit rapid simultaneous embarkation and disembarkation, cargo handling, and operation of cabin-mounted weapons. Locating the cabin close to the helicopter's center of gravity also limits balance changes as troops, ammunition or cargo are loaded and unloaded.

  Production UH-60Ms incorporate provisions for the External Stores Support System (ESSS), allowing external fuel tanks, weapons, or other compatible mission equipment to be carried without fundamental modification of the airframe. In maximum auxiliary-fuel configuration, ESSS can accommodate four 230 U.S. gal (871 L) tanks, providing up to 920 U.S. gal (3,484 L) of additional external fuel. The same attachment stations can support weapons in appropriately configured helicopters, allowing the aircraft to trade payload, range, and armament according to mission requirements. External fuel and weapons nevertheless impose both weight and aerodynamic drag, meaning maximum ESSS fuel capacity cannot be treated as a performance increase without corresponding payload and flight-performance penalties.

• Avionics and Onboard Equipment

  The UH-60M introduced a major avionics change over the UH-60A/L, replacing the predominantly analogue cockpit with an integrated digital architecture centered on four color multifunction displays. These consolidate primary flight data, engine and aircraft-system information, navigation, digital maps, and mission information. Pilots can reorganize displayed information according to mission phase, while the cockpit is compatible with night-vision goggles for low-level and night operations. Avionics communicate through MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429 and Ethernet data buses, providing substantially greater capacity for software and equipment upgrades than earlier Black Hawks.

  Two digital flight-control computers provide the Stability Augmentation System, trim, and Flight Path Stabilization, while a four-axis fully coupled flight director assists control in pitch, roll, yaw, and collective-related parameters. The system also integrates stabilator control and reduces pilot workload during instrument flight, approaches, and tactical navigation. The standard UH-60M is not fly-by-wire: conventional controls and hydraulic actuation remain, with digital systems augmenting pilot inputs. Full-authority fly-by-wire was developed for the cancelled UH-60M Upgrade and subsequently incorporated into the experimental H-60Mx.

  Primary navigation uses dual Embedded GPS/Inertial systems, providing two independent sources of position, velocity and attitude. The inertial component allows navigation to continue temporarily if GPS is unavailable or degraded, although positional error progressively increases without external updates. A digital moving map displays aircraft position, routes, waypoints and geographic information directly on the cockpit displays. Depending on operator and configuration, additional navigation equipment can include VOR/ILS, TACAN, ADF and radar altimeters.

  The digital architecture supports VHF, UHF, HF and satellite communications, secure voice and software-defined radios, although individual radio types vary between operators. The UH-60M also supports an Improved Data Modem, Blue Force Tracker and Joint Variable Message Format, permitting digital exchange of tactical information and friendly-force positions instead of relying exclusively on voice communications. Selected recent export configurations additionally incorporate Link 16, but this was not part of the original baseline UH-60M and should not be considered universal fleet equipment.

  Configuration-dependent equipment includes IFF, weather radar, radar altimeters, Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System, Improved Head-Up Display and degraded-visual-environment aids. Selected UH-60Ms can also carry EO/IR turrets for reconnaissance, landing-zone observation, search and rescue, and reduced-visibility operations. The Austrian configuration, for example, incorporates an MX-10D EO/IR turret with visible and infrared imaging and laser-related functions, but this sensor is not standard on every UH-60M.

  The Integrated Vehicle Health Management System (IVHMS) monitors engines, transmission, rotor system, and other dynamic components using vibration and condition data. Abnormal trends can identify bearing wear, imbalance, or mechanical degradation before they develop into larger failures, supporting condition-based maintenance rather than relying exclusively on predetermined inspection intervals. The third-generation system introduced during UH-60M development incorporated Ethernet connectivity, integrated bearing monitoring, and cockpit-recording capability.

  The UH-60M can accept removable equipment including external rescue hoists, Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System equipment, patient-litter installations, Bambi firefighting buckets, snow skis, cargo-hook scales, auxiliary fuel tanks, VIP equipment and additional electrical outlets. This modular architecture allows the same helicopter to move between air assault, cargo, rescue, medical support, firefighting and other utility missions without creating a dedicated variant for each role. Dedicated derivatives such as the HH-60M nevertheless retain more extensive permanent equipment for specialized missions.

  The significance of the UH-60M's digital architecture extends beyond the equipment originally installed when the model entered production. The current Black Hawk Next approach is moving toward a Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)-enabled digital backbone, intended to allow hardware and software to be replaced or upgraded more rapidly than with traditional federated avionics. By 2026, development extends to control of unmanned Launched Effects, networked battlefield information, and interfaces supporting greater automation.

  The experimental H-60Mx extends this development further through full-authority fly-by-wire controls and MATRIX autonomy, but the distinction from the operational UH-60M remains important. Standard UH-60Ms are neither autonomous nor full-authority fly-by-wire aircraft. Their importance for future modernization lies instead in the digital foundation that permits later radios, tactical data links, EO/IR sensors, warning systems, mission software, and unmanned-system interfaces to be incorporated without redesigning the entire helicopter or assigning a new basic variant designation.

• Engine Propulsion and Performance

  The UH-60M is powered by two General Electric T700-GE-701D turboshaft engines, replacing the T700-GE-701C of the UH-60L. Each engine develops 2,000 shp (1,491 kW) for the 2.5-minute one-engine-inoperative contingency rating, 1,994 shp (1,486 kW) for 10 minutes, 1,902 shp (1,418 kW) for 30 minutes and 1,716 shp (1,279 kW) maximum continuous. Two engines mathematically provide 3,988 shp at the 10-minute rating and 3,432 shp maximum continuous, although actual rotor power is limited by transmission ratings and operating conditions.

  Each -701D measures 46 in (117 cm) long, has a nominal diameter of 15.6 in (39.6 cm) and weighs 456 lb (207 kg). It provides roughly 4% more power than the preceding -701C while incorporating durability improvements intended to increase engine life and reduce maintenance requirements. The engines are installed separately on the upper fuselage and independently feed the transmission, allowing continued flight after one engine fails within applicable weight, altitude, and temperature limits.

  The engines feed an Improved Durability Gearbox rated in the 3,400 shp class, compared with roughly 2,828 shp for the earlier UH-60A transmission. Because transmission capacity is below the mathematical combined maximum engine output, the full rated output of both engines cannot simply be delivered continuously to the rotor. The drivetrain distributes power to the main rotor, tail rotor, and aircraft accessories.

  The UH-60M combines this drivetrain with four wide-chord all-composite main rotor blades using swept anhedral tips. Blade chord increased by 1.74 in (4 cm) while rotor diameter remained 53 ft 8 in (16.36 m), increasing lifting area without enlarging the rotor disc. Combined with the -701D engines, the wider rotor increased useful load by more than 1,000 lb (450 kg) compared with the earlier configuration.

  Maximum gross weight is 22,000 lb (9,979 kg), with an empty weight of roughly 12,500 lb (5,670 kg), primary mission weight of 19,382 lb (8,792 kg) and useful load of 6,882 lb (3,122 kg). The useful load is 958 lb greater than the UH-60L figure and 1,172 lb greater than the UH-60A under the cited comparison conditions. Maximum structural weight does not mean maximum fuel, troops and cargo can be carried simultaneously because environmental conditions and hover requirements can impose lower operational limits.

  Maximum continuous airspeed is 156 knots (289 km/h), maximum cruise speed is 151 knots (280 km/h) and normal operational cruise is 120-145 knots (222-269 km/h) depending on weight, altitude and external configuration. At 16,800 lb, vertical climb reaches 1,646 ft/min (502 m/min) compared with 1,315 ft/min for the UH-60L. At 18,000 lb, the UH-60M retains 994 ft/min (303 m/min) compared with 592 ft/min for the UH-60L, a 67.9% advantage.

  Maximum range with internal fuel and no reserve is 276 nmi (511 km) under the cited Sikorsky conditions. ESSS can carry up to four 230 U.S. gal (871 L) external tanks, totaling 920 U.S. gal (3,484 L), although their weight and drag reduce payload and consume external stations. Service ceiling is 15,180 ft (4,626 m), hover ceiling in ground effect is 10,520 ft (3,206 m) and hover ceiling out of ground effect is 6,010 ft (1,832 m).

  The developmental GE Aerospace T901-GE-900 is rated at 3,000 shp per engine, providing 50% more power and 25% better specific fuel consumption than the T700 generation. A T901-equipped UH-60M began ground testing in January 2025 and first flew in May 2025; by April 2026, it had completed 22 flights, with later testing reaching 17,000 ft and 160 knots. The T901 remains developmental and should not replace the T700-GE-701D in current UH-60M specifications.

• Armament and Self-Defence

  The UH-60M is primarily a utility and air-assault helicopter rather than a dedicated attack helicopter, so its baseline armament is designed principally for suppressive and defensive fire during troop insertion, extraction, and low-level operations in contested areas. Standard U.S. Army configurations commonly carry two 7.62 mm M240H machine guns, normally mounted on opposite sides of the cabin and operated by crew chiefs or gunners. A typical tactical crew of two pilots and two crew chiefs/gunners can therefore engage targets on both sides simultaneously. The weapons are removable, and the exact armament carried depends on mission requirements rather than being permanently fixed to the helicopter.

  The M240H provides the baseline UH-60M with defensive fire against personnel, exposed firing positions and light targets during approaches to and departures from landing zones. Selected configurations can instead carry M134-series 7.62 mm electrically driven miniguns, whose much higher rate of fire permits concentrated suppressive fire during the short periods when a helicopter is most exposed. M134 installations are not universal, with recent export packages demonstrating that operators can select different cabin weapons according to national requirements. Heavier weapons are also possible: Taiwan's UH-60M configuration includes GAU-19/A .50-caliber weapons, providing greater projectile energy, range and penetration against vehicles, structures and protected positions than 7.62 mm weapons.

  Every production UH-60M incorporates provisions for the External Stores Support System (ESSS), which provides attachment points on both sides of the fuselage. Although commonly used for auxiliary fuel tanks, ESSS can support compatible external weapons on armed configurations. Black Hawk weapon options include 70 mm rockets, AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missiles, and external gun systems, with broader Black Hawk configurations also associated with air-to-air missiles and the M136 Volcano mine-laying system. These should not be considered standard equipment on every UH-60M: the normal U.S. Army configuration remains centered on cabin machine guns, while external weapons represent specialized, demonstrated, or customer-specific configurations.

  The UH-60M is also being used to test a new class of externally launched unmanned weapons. During a three-day U.S. Army test at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia, in June 2026, an H-60M successfully launched and controlled multiple medium-range Air-Launched Effects (A-LE) after a 13-month integration effort. The test marked the first time an Army rotary-wing aircraft launched multiple launched effects from a single helicopter and included integration work associated with the Long-Range Precision Munition (LRPM). This represents a developmental capability rather than standard operational UH-60M armament, but it indicates a potential future role in which the helicopter can deploy and control unmanned systems while remaining farther from defended areas.

  UH-60M survivability begins with physical protection rather than electronic countermeasures alone. Ballistic armor can protect crew and passenger areas, while critical systems are separated, protected, or duplicated where practical to reduce the probability that a single projectile or fragment disables the aircraft. Armor fit varies according to operator and mission because every additional protective panel consumes part of the helicopter's useful load and therefore competes directly with troops, cargo, weapons and fuel. Crashworthy seating, energy-absorbing landing gear and crash-resistant fuel-system features provide another survivability layer if battle damage or mechanical failure results in a hard landing.

  The UH-60M incorporates infrared exhaust-suppression measures intended to reduce vulnerability to heat-seeking missiles. The available information identifies upturned exhaust suppressors and development from HIRSS-type equipment toward the Improved Hover Infrared Suppression System. These devices modify and disperse hot engine exhaust, reducing the infrared contrast available to missile seekers. Unlike flares or active jammers, infrared suppression is passive and functions continuously, providing a first defensive layer before an incoming weapon has even been detected.

  Modern UH-60M defensive configurations can incorporate the AN/AAR-57 Common Missile Warning System (CMWS), which detects indications associated with incoming missile threats and alerts the crew and defensive equipment. CMWS can work with expendable decoys and active infrared countermeasures, reducing the delay between detection and defensive response. The system appears in multiple export configurations as well as the broader U.S. Army survivability architecture.

  Radar threats can be detected by AN/APR-39-series radar warning receivers. The exact version varies between fleets: Croatia's configuration includes the AN/APR-39C(V), while Norway's proposed 2026 configuration includes the newer AN/APR-39E(V)2. These systems detect relevant radar emissions associated with surveillance, target acquisition or weapon systems, allowing crews to alter route, descend behind terrain, maneuver or employ other countermeasures before an engagement develops.

  Selected UH-60Ms also incorporate AN/AVR-2-series laser warning receivers, including the AN/AVR-2B. These detect laser energy associated with rangefinders, target designators, and other laser-equipped threat systems. Laser warning fills an important gap because many battlefield threats can acquire or designate a helicopter without continuously emitting radar energy. A modern configuration can consequently combine radar, laser, and missile-warning sensors to detect several fundamentally different threat mechanisms.

  Infrared decoy flares provide an expendable countermeasure against heat-seeking missiles by generating alternative infrared sources intended to draw the seeker away from the helicopter. Their effectiveness depends on missile type, engagement geometry, and dispensing sequence, and the aircraft carries only a finite quantity. They therefore form one layer of an integrated defensive architecture in which infrared suppression reduces initial signature, CMWS detects a missile threat, and expendable countermeasures attempt to break seeker tracking.

  Newer UH-60M configurations add Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM), providing an active and reusable defensive layer against infrared-guided missiles. CIRCM uses directed, modulated infrared energy to interfere with an incoming missile's seeker and operates in conjunction with missile-warning sensors that detect and track the threat. Unlike flares, the system does not depend on expending a decoy for every engagement, although it complements rather than replaces expendables and passive signature reduction. CIRCM is in production for the U.S. Army and is also appearing in newer foreign UH-60M configurations.

  A comprehensively equipped modern UH-60M can therefore combine ballistic armor, redundant critical systems, crashworthy construction, infrared exhaust suppression, AN/AAR-57 missile warning, AN/APR-39 radar warning, AN/AVR-2 laser warning, infrared flares and CIRCM. This creates successive layers intended to reduce detection, warn the crew of different threats, defeat missile seekers and improve survival if the helicopter is nevertheless hit. The exact suite is not universal: production date, national customer and mission requirements can result in substantial differences between aircraft that all retain the UH-60M designation.

• Transport Capacities

  The UH-60M is designed around a flexible cabin and external-load system, allowing the same helicopter to transport an infantry squad, internal supplies, underslung battlefield equipment, casualties, or rescue personnel. The minimum flight crew is two pilots, while a standard tactical crew normally consists of four personnel: two pilots and two crew chiefs/gunners. Sikorsky performance calculations allocate 980 lb (445 kg) to this four-person crew, or 245 lb (111 kg) per person including body armor, helmets, weapons and personal equipment. The crew chiefs also supervise troops and cargo, monitor obstacles and sling loads, and assist during confined area and landing zone operations.

  The standard U.S. Army air-assault configuration carries 11 fully equipped soldiers, corresponding to a squad-sized assault element, while Sikorsky identifies capacity for up to 12 fully equipped seated troops in other configurations. Current M-model calculations use 290 lb (132 kg) per equipped soldier, compared with an older 240 lb (109 kg) planning figure. Eleven troops therefore represent 3,190 lb (1,447 kg) and 12 represent 3,480 lb (1,579 kg). The newer assumption adds 550 lb (249 kg) for an 11-person squad compared with the older calculation, consuming 8% of the helicopter's 6,882 lb (3,122 kg) useful load before fuel, weapons or other mission equipment are considered.

  Large sliding doors on both sides permit troops to embark or disembark simultaneously. Actual troop capacity nevertheless depends on gross weight, fuel, defensive equipment, weapons, altitude, and temperature. Eleven soldiers at 290 lb each combined with the 980 lb tactical crew total 4,170 lb (1,892 kg), equivalent to 60.6% of the published useful load before fuel and mission equipment. Twelve soldiers plus the four-person crew increase this to 4,460 lb (2,023 kg), or 64.8% of useful load, illustrating why maximum seating, maximum fuel, and maximum payload cannot be achieved simultaneously.

  The UH-60M cabin provides 396 cu ft (11.21 m³) of internal volume and 88.0 sq ft (8.18 m²) of cargo-floor area. The floor incorporates 17 tie-down rings, while two additional compartments above the fuel cells provide 20.34 cu ft (0.58 m³) of storage. Seats can be removed or repositioned to accommodate ammunition, food, water, communications equipment, repair parts, and other supplies. Internal carriage protects cargo from weather and avoids the aerodynamic drag and airspeed restrictions associated with underslung loads.

  Cited internal cargo capacity ranges from 2,640 to 3,190 lb (1,197 to 1,447 kg) depending on configuration and calculation method. Weight is not the only restriction because cabin dimensions, center of gravity and tie-down requirements determine whether a particular load can physically and safely be carried. Large battlefield equipment and vehicles generally cannot fit inside the cabin and must instead be transported beneath the helicopter.

  The UH-60M cargo hook has a structural rating of 9,000 lb (4,082 kg), increasing external-load capability over the 8,000 lb-class rating associated with earlier UH-60A/L configurations. This permits carriage of artillery, ammunition, fuel, engineering equipment, supply nets, and other loads too large for the cabin. A representative Army requirement includes transporting a 105 mm howitzer with its crew and ammunition, allowing artillery and associated supplies to be repositioned without depending on roads or prepared landing areas.

  The 9,000 lb figure is a structural cargo-hook rating rather than a guaranteed operational sling load. Practical lifting capability decreases with higher temperature and altitude and also depends on aircraft empty weight, fuel state, and required hover margin. External loads generate additional aerodynamic drag and can produce pendulum forces, requiring restricted speeds and careful maneuvering. Selected configurations can incorporate a cargo-hook scale and sling-load observation equipment to help crews monitor load weight and stability during pickup, transit, and delivery.

  The standard UH-60M can accept patient-litter equipment, including dual-patient litter systems identified in customer configurations, allowing casualty transport without permanently converting the helicopter into a medical aircraft. The HH-60M remains the dedicated medical-evacuation derivative and carries a substantially more extensive medical mission installation, so HH-60M-specific patient capacities should not automatically be attributed to the baseline UH-60M.

  For operations where landing is impossible or tactically undesirable, the UH-60M can carry Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System equipment, rappelling equipment, and related personnel-insertion systems. An external rescue hoist can also raise or lower personnel while the helicopter remains in a hover, permitting recovery from water, mountains, rooftops, flood zones and confined terrain. These systems are removable mission equipment, allowing individual operators to configure aircraft for assault, search-and-rescue, or personnel recovery missions without creating a separate helicopter variant.

  Selected UH-60M configurations can carry an externally suspended Bambi bucket for aerial firefighting. Water is carried through the same external-load system used for battlefield cargo and can be collected and released over forest or vegetation fires. The usable water load depends on altitude, temperature, fuel state, and required hover performance rather than simply the 9,000 lb cargo-hook rating, making payload management particularly important during high-temperature or mountainous firefighting operations.

  The External Stores Support System (ESSS) can carry as many as four 230 U.S. gal (871 L) auxiliary fuel tanks, providing up to 920 U.S. gal (3,484 L) of additional external fuel capacity. This increases range and endurance but adds fuel and tank mass, increases aerodynamic drag, and occupies stations that could otherwise carry other external stores. A four-tank long-range configuration therefore cannot be interpreted as simultaneously providing maximum troop, cargo, or external-load capability.

The UH-60M can transport 11 fully equipped combat troops or up to 12 seated troops, internal cargo within its 11.21 m³ cabin, external sling loads, or casualties in medical-evacuation configuration, with a maximum useful load of 6,882 lb (3,122 kg).