UH-60M Black Hawk: export demand underpins $13 billion market opportunity

A widely exported attack and utility helicopter, Sikorsky’s UH-60 is a medium transport platform whose latest variant – the UH-60M – is in operation with the US Army alongside various international customers across the globe.

First entering service in 1979 with the US Army as the UH-60A, the UH-60 has been in its latest iteration, the UH-60M, since 2006 and stands as one of the most widely deployed helicopters in military service.

Now, the aircraft variant is undergoing various modernisation upgrades – including engine improvements and autonomy – which will further expand the helicopter’s role to, according to Sikorsky, become a “networked battlefield node” central to the US Army’s future vision of connected flight alongside next-generation warfighters.

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The UH-60 has been ordered and operated by 30 countries and remains a central staple platform for the US Army, which currently owns and operates more than 2,000 platforms. The S-70i, meanwhile, an international variant of the helicopter owned and operated by nine countries, is produced by Sikorsky subsidiary PZL Mielec in Poland and by Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Some countries that already operate the helicopter have recently announced plans to procure additional UH-60M platforms or upgrade older variants via Ace Aeronautics. 

Customers

	Ordered	Delivered	Inventory	OSD
AFGHANISTAN	159	8	8	2057
ALBANIA	3	2	2	U
AUSTRALIA	40	12	12	2027
AUSTRIA	12	9	9	2042
BAHRAIN	12	12	9	2019
BRAZIL	26	20	16	2046
BRUNEI	4	4	4	2036
CHILE	9	3	3	2038
CHINA	24	24	24	2024
COLOMBIA	107	78	62	2037
CROATIA	2	4	4	2035
EGYPT	8	8	4	U
ISRAEL	47	47	0	2037
JORDAN	30	30	17	2047
SOUTH KOREA	141	141	130	2031
LATVIA	4	4	4	2052
LITHUANIA	4	2	2	2050
MALAYSIA	4	4	4	2046
MEXICO	29	25	25	2051
PHILIPPINES	1	1	1	U
PORTUGAL	9	2	2	2048
SAUDI ARABIA	154	46	45	2050
SLOVAKIA	9	9	9	2057
SWEDEN	27	15	15	2051
TAIWAN	68	53	44	2038
THAILAND	14	15	15	2040
TUNISIA	16	8	8	2057
TURKEY	173	122	86	2039
UAE	79	79	79	2048
USA	2255	1742	1731	2070

OSD = Out of Service Date

U = Unverified

Current customers and modernisation plans

A number of existing operators have recently announced plans to procure additional UH-60M platforms. One recent procurement decision in February 2025 came from Portugal, which announced plans to acquire five additional platforms. 

Taiwan also announced its intention in April 2025 to procure a further 30 aircraft. The country already operates 58 UH-60 helicopters with the potential additional aircraft helping to strengthen the country’s strike capabilities. Shephard estimates the programme value to be US$1.5 billion.

However, the platform has also been subject to cancelled orders, with Poland reassessing and withdrawing its plans in June 2025 to procure the S-70i, as Shephard previously reported.

Alongside further orders for the platform, upgrades to the UH-60M also continue, with the US Army proposing a mid-life platform overhaul to keep the aircraft in service well beyond 2050. In February 2026, the US Army released a request for information to assess the feasibility of a commercial modification line for the platform.

Engine upgrades continue on the UH-60M under the Black Hawk Next programme. In January 2025, Sikorsky ran the first ground test of the UH-60M equipped with two GE Aerospace T901 Improved Turbine Engines (ITE). The first flight with the new engines took place in May 2025. 

Sikorsky then announced in May 2026 it had reached new milestones in its modernisation efforts. Flight tests, as of April 2026, have seen the aircraft conduct 22 flights so far. The outcome of these engine upgrades, as noted by Sikorsky, will give the UH-60M increased payload and greater operational flexibility. 

US$13 billion in potential export orders

The future export potential for this platform remains high, with Shephard forecasting a market opportunity worth $13 billion for the UH-60M. Two key opportunities for future sales come from South America, namely Argentina and Brazil; both of which have a need to replace ageing helicopters with a modern multirole platform.

In 2022, the Brazilian Air Force announced it had withdrawn its fleet of 12 Mi-35M from service. While no further updates have been given on the force’s plans to replace this retired fleet at the time of writing, Shephard estimates that the UH-60M could serve as a suitable replacement.

The Brazilian Army recently took delivery of its first UH-60M to replace its older UH-60L Black Hawks and HM-3 Cougar helicopters. The 12-aircraft foreign military sale for second-hand helicopters was approved in May 2025 for an estimated price of $230 million.

Argentina’s own search towards fulfilling a multi-role medium helicopter requirement has also progressed, with reports Argentina had engaged with Sikorsky on potentially procuring the UH-60L/M in 2025. Shephard estimates that a contract could be awarded in 2030 in order for the capability to be built up at the start of the next decade, with Argentina procuring up to 20 medium helicopter platforms.

Kosovo, meanwhile, announced it was in the process of procuring the UH-60M from Sikorsky for an unspecified number of platforms – although no follow-up timeline has been stated.

The US Army has recently reinforced its plans to sell off older model UH-60L Black Hawk aircraft. It would then aim to use those funds to procure newer aircraft. 

Isolde Hatgis-Kessell, air analyst at Shephard, said: “As a proven and reliable platform, the UH-60 is a key contender to replace aged medium and multi-role helicopter platforms. Strong opportunities include potential replacement programmes across Latin America, notably in Argentina as it is in service with both Brazil and Mexico. 

“The Black Hawk has had notable success across the Baltic and Balkan countries as well, which could provide further market opportunities.”

Uncrewed variant of UH-60 makes progress

In October 2025, Lockheed Martin unveiled the S-70UAS U-Hawk, the uncrewed variant of the UH-60L Black Hawk. Created from an older UH-60L model, which the US Army is currently divesting, instead of a cockpit, the uncrewed system has 25% more cargo capacity than the crewed version.

As Shephard has previously reported, the uncrewed version is intended for autonomous logistics and to potentially act as an uncrewed mothership, deploying uncrewed ground vehicles and drones in contested environments. Sikorsky said that it plans to fly the autonomous platform this year.

Related Programmes in Defence Insight

Multirole helicopter requirement [Argentina]

Mi-35M Replacement [Brazil]

Related Equipment in Defence Insight

UH-60L/M Black Hawk