Sikorsky’s S-70M Black Hawk Earns Commercial Certification
Having established itself in the military sector, Sikorsky’s Black Hawk helicopter is now moving into commercial aviation thanks to an FAA type certification (in the restricted category) and an associated pilot’s type rating. Based on the U.S. Army’s UH-60M, the first commercial S-70M Black Hawk has been acquired by San Diego Gas & Electric.
“Type certification allows commercial helicopter operators, for the first time, to purchase a new production Black Hawk helicopter from Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company,” said Joe Palumbo, Development and Capture Programs director. “The type rating enables commercial pilots to receive training on an FAA-approved S-70M flight simulator developed by FlightSafety International or, if qualified, their military equivalency to be type rated in the S-70M.”
The push to bring the workhorse Black Hawk into commercial service has been a long time coming. “Both domestic and international operators have asked for several years if Sikorsky had a Black Hawk with any kind of civil certification,
regardless of whether the requesting operator’s country would accept the certification,” Palumbo said. To address their requests, Sikorsky applied to the FAA in 2017 to amend the company’s existing S-70A Restricted Category Type Certificate to include the S-70M.
The effort paid off. “The FAA awarded Sikorsky an S-70M Type Certificate in February of 2019 (H5NE) because the company demonstrated the S-70M configuration met the prerequisites of 14 CFR 21.25(a)(2) for a restricted category aircraft type having been accepted by an Armed Force of the United States,” Palumbo said.
This certification has expanded the Black Hawk’s usage into commercial aviation missions such as agricultural operations, carrying external cargo, and various forest and wildlife conservation duties including aerial firefighting. But the S-70M will not be allowed to carry civilian passengers on a carrier-type basis because the original military helicopter was never designed to meet those standards.
This being noted, “This restriction has not prevented keen interest by commercial
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operators wishing to possess the latest version of the Black Hawk, which they can now purchase directly from the factory,” Palumbo said. Previous to this, most Black Hawks in commercial operation were “pre-owned” military UH-60 airframes acquired from the U.S. military.
“Several countries won’t allow surplus military aircraft to operate in their airspace system,” Palumbo noted. “For those regions that want the Black Hawk and its capabilities for emergency services, the new build S-70M fully answers that need with the opportunity to meet or exceed each country’s regulatory structure.” The new S-70Ms are being made by PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company, at its production facility in Poland.
“S-70M will become the standard designation for Black Hawk aircraft produced for direct commercial sale,” Palumbo added. “However, customers wanting S-70i aircraft will
still be able
to procure them. With the exception of optional non-STC mission system/ equipment available for the S-70i, both aircraft types are identical.”
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