Sweden orders 12 Black Hawks

The new aircraft, which have an estimated cost of US$900 million, will join an existing fleet of 15 rotorcraft of that type that were procured in 2011.

The new fleet will be delivered gradually in the next few years.

The contract was signed by the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration (FMV) on 10 July, after the US government approved the deal on 29 May.

The UH-60M, referred to as ‘Helicopter 16’ by the Swedish military, is used for a range of missions, with FMV stating that “among the first assignments was … medical transport during operations in Afghanistan”. They added that the aircraft type has also been employed in “other international operations”.

The Black Hawk is a popular choice in the special missions sector. In addition to medical evacuations (medevac), other common uses include search and rescue (SAR) and counterterrorism.

“The procurement of additional helicopters is in line with the Supreme Commander’s military advice to the government and the Defense Commission’s report on strengthening Sweden’s defense capabilities as an ally,” said Michael Stolpen, Unit Chief at FMV.

Croatia signed a contract of its own in March for an order of eight UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters.