New UH-60 ‘Lima’ Black Hawk for Portuguese Air Force
The aircraft will be used by the 551st Squadron for aerial firefighting operations across Portugal
The Portuguese Air Force (FAP) has announced the delivery of its sixth UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at its air base in Ovar on 21 February.
The helicopter will now undergo a testing phase over the coming weeks, prior to final acceptance by the FAP.
The rotorcraft is the second UH-60 in the ‘Lima’ configuration – which features new engines and a new gearbox compared with the FAP’s older Alpha variant.
The Lima variant also features a higher takeoff weight of around 680kg, a 450kg suspended load capacity increase, better performance in extreme conditions, and an external winch to support search and rescue (SAR) missions.
The aircraft will be used to reinforce the operations of the FAP’s 551st Squadron, which is responsible for aerial firefighting missions across Portugal, and the transport of ground forces.
The Canadian province of Alberta recently ordered five more DHC-515 firefighting aircraft.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.