Canadian Warplanes 7: Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters flown by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

RCMP Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter

(RCMP Photos)

RCMP  Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin  UH-60 Black Hawk C-FHKS, Jan 2025. The RCMP Black Hawks have a custom, mostly-black paint scheme with crimson accents.

The Sikorsky-Lockheed Martin  UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System (UTTAS) competition in 1972. The Army designated the prototype as the YUH-60A and selected the Black Hawk as the winner of the program in 1976, after a fly-off competition with the Boeing Vertol YUH-61.

Named after the Native American war leader Black Hawk, the UH-60A entered service with the U.S. Army in 1979, to replace the Bell UH-1 Iroquois as the Army's tactical transport helicopter. This was followed by the fielding of electronic warfare and special operations variants of the Black Hawk. Improved UH-60L and UH-60M utility variants have also been developed. Modified versions have also been developed for the RCMP, U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. In addition to U.S. Army use, the UH-60 family has been exported to several nations. The latest utility variant is the UH-60M. (Wikipedia)

Canada is patrolling its border with two Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters manned by the RCMP. Two Black Hawks have been leased from Helicopter Transport Services in Ottawa, Ontario. The Black Hawks will join six RCMP helicopters that already carry out proactive patrols. 60 new drones that will also patrol Canada’s border with the United States. The aim is "to provide additional surveillance to monitor and secure the border in between the ports of entry, within Canadian laws and regulations, in line with its Federal Policing border integrity mandate.” (Robin Percival, RCMP Media Relations)

The RCMP also currently operates Airbus H125, H145 and EC120B helicopters and 22 fixed-wing aircaft.

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