Shekaru 40 na sabis na helikwafta na Black Hawk

An cire UH-60L tare da 105mm howitzers yayin motsa jiki a Fort Drum, New York akan Yuli 18, 2012. Sojojin Amurka

Oktoba 31, 1978 Sikorsky UH-60A helikofta Black Hawk sun shiga sabis tare da Sojojin Amurka. Shekaru 40, ana amfani da waɗannan jirage masu saukar ungulu a matsayin matsakaicin matsakaicin sufuri, fitarwar likita, bincike da ceto da dandamali na musamman a cikin sojojin Amurka. Tare da ƙarin haɓakawa, Black Hawk yakamata ya kasance cikin sabis har zuwa aƙalla 2050.

A halin yanzu, ana amfani da kusan 4 a duniya. H-60 ​​helicopters. Kusan 1200 daga cikinsu Black Hawks ne a cikin sabuwar sigar H-60M. Babban mai amfani da Black Hawk shine Sojojin Amurka, wanda ke da kusan kwafi 2150 a gyare-gyare daban-daban. A cikin sojojin Amurka, jirage masu saukar ungulu na Black Hawk sun yi jigilar sama da sa'o'i miliyan 10.

A ƙarshen 60s, sojojin Amurka sun ƙirƙira buƙatun farko don sabon helikwafta don maye gurbin helikwafta UH-1 Iroquois masu yawa. An kaddamar da wani shiri mai suna UTTAS (Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System), watau. "Tsarin safarar jiragen sama da yawa". A lokaci guda kuma, sojojin sun ƙaddamar da wani shiri don ƙirƙirar sabon injin turboshaft, godiya ga wanda aka aiwatar da dangin General Electric T700 na sabbin wutar lantarki. A cikin Janairu 1972, Sojoji sun nemi takardar UTTAS. Ƙayyadaddun ƙayyadaddun, wanda aka haɓaka bisa ga kwarewar yakin Vietnam, ya ɗauka cewa sabon helikwafta ya kamata ya zama abin dogara sosai, mai jure wa ƙananan bindigogi, sauƙi kuma mai rahusa don aiki. Ya kamata ya kasance yana da injuna guda biyu, dual hydraulic, lantarki da tsarin sarrafawa, tsarin man fetur da aka ba da juriya ga kananan bindigogi da kuma tasiri a kasa yayin saukar gaggawa, watsawa mai iya aiki da rabin sa'a bayan ruwan mai. wani gida mai iya jure saukar gaggawar gaggawa, kujeru masu sulke na ma'aikatan jirgin da fasinjoji, keken keke tare da abubuwan girgiza mai da mafi shuru da ƙarfi.

Jirgin mai saukar ungulu zai kasance yana da ma'aikata hudu da kuma rukunin fasinja na sojoji goma sha daya masu cikakken kayan aiki. Halayen sabon helikwafta sun haɗa da: min gudun tafiya. 272 km/h, saurin hawan tsaye min. 137 m / min, yiwuwar yin shawagi a tsawo na 1220 m a yanayin iska na + 35 ° C, kuma tsawon lokacin jirgin tare da cikakken kaya ya kasance 2,3 hours. Ɗaya daga cikin manyan abubuwan da ake buƙata na shirin UTTAS shine ikon ɗaukar jirgi mai saukar ungulu a kan jirgin C-141 Starlifter ko C-5 Galaxy ba tare da rarrabuwa mai rikitarwa ba. Wannan ya ƙayyade ma'auni na helikwafta (musamman tsayi) kuma ya tilasta amfani da babban nadawa mai juyi, wutsiya da kayan saukarwa tare da yiwuwar matsawa (ƙasa).

Masu nema biyu sun shiga cikin tayin: Sikorsky tare da samfurin YUH-60A (samfurin S-70) da Boeing-Vertol tare da YUH-61A (samfurin 179). Bisa ga buƙatar sojojin, duka samfuran biyu sun yi amfani da injunan General Electric T700-GE-700 tare da iyakar ƙarfin 1622 hp. (1216 kW). Sikorsky ya gina nau'ikan nau'ikan YUH-60A guda huɗu, na farko ya tashi a ranar 17 ga Oktoba, 1974. A cikin Maris 1976, YUH-60As an kai su ga sojojin, kuma Sikorsky ya yi amfani da samfur na huɗu don nasa gwaje-gwaje.

Ranar 23 ga Disamba, 1976, an bayyana Sikorsky a matsayin wanda ya lashe shirin UTTAS, yana karɓar kwangila don fara ƙananan samar da UH-60A. Ba da dadewa ba aka canza wa sabon jirgin suna Black Hawk. An mika UH-60A na farko ga sojoji a ranar 31 ga Oktoba, 1978. A cikin Yuni 1979, UH-60A jirage masu saukar ungulu da aka yi amfani da 101st Combat Aviation Brigade (BAB) na 101 Airborne Division na Airborne Forces.

A cikin tsarin fasinja (kujeru 3-4-4), UH-60A na iya ɗaukar sojoji 11 cikakkun kayan aiki. A cikin tsarin tsaftar muhalli, bayan da aka tarwatsa kujerun fasinja takwas, ya dauki shimfidar shimfida hudu. A waje, yana iya ɗaukar kaya mai nauyin kilogiram 3600. UH-60A guda daya na iya daukar jirgin M102 mai nauyin 105mm mai nauyin kilogiram 1496 akan ƙugiya ta waje, kuma a cikin kogin ɗin dukan ma'aikatanta na mutane huɗu da harsashi 30. An daidaita tagogin gefen don hawa manyan bindigogin M-144D guda biyu na 60-mm akan firam ɗin M7,62 na duniya. M144 kuma ana iya sanye shi da bindigogin M7,62D/H da M240 Minigun 134mm. Biyu 15-mm bindigogi GAU-16 / A, GAU-18A ko GAU-12,7A za a iya shigar a cikin bene na sufuri cabin a kan musamman ginshikan, da nufin a tarnaƙi da kuma harbe-harbe ta cikin bude loading ƙyanƙyashe.

UH-60A an sanye shi da VHF-FM, UHF-FM da VHF-AM/FM rediyo da Tsarin Shaida Alien (IFF). Babban hanyar kariya ta ƙunshi thermal na duniya da anti-radar M130 cartridge ejectors da aka sanya a bangarorin biyu na girman wutsiya. A cikin shekarun 80s da 90s, jirage masu saukar ungulu sun karɓi tsarin faɗakarwar radar AN / APR-39 (V) 1 da tashar tashar infrared mai aiki ta AN / ALQ-144 (V).

An samar da jirage masu saukar ungulu na UH-60A Black Hawk a cikin 1978-1989. A lokacin, Sojojin Amurka sun sami kusan 980 UH-60As. A halin yanzu akwai jirage masu saukar ungulu 380 kawai a cikin wannan sigar. A cikin 'yan shekarun nan, duk injunan UH-60A sun karɓi injunan T700-GE-701D, waɗanda aka sanya su akan jirage masu saukar ungulu UH-60M. Duk da haka, ba a maye gurbin kayan aikin ba kuma UH-60A ba ta amfana da wuce gona da iri da sabbin injinan ke samarwa. A cikin 2005, an yi watsi da shirin haɓaka ragowar UH-60As zuwa M kuma an yanke shawara don siyan ƙarin sabbin UH-60Ms.