New Black Hawks for Ukraine could cost more than $100 million per helicopter
Kyiv • UNN
Norway’s potential deal for 21 UH-60Ms is estimated at $2.3 billion. Ukraine is primarily considering used Black Hawks to modernize its aircraft fleet.
A new batch of American UH-60M Black Hawks for Norway could cost approximately $2.3 billion, which, by a rough estimate, amounts to about $109.5 million per helicopter with a full package of equipment and services. Defense Express reported this, UNN writes.
Details
Norway received U.S. approval to sell 21 UH-60M helicopters under the Foreign Military Sales program. The package includes not only the aircraft themselves, but also additional equipment, weapons, spare parts, and logistical and technical support.
In particular, the contract provides for 46 engines, infrared and radar warning receiver systems, navigation and communications equipment, identification friend or foe systems, as well as machine guns. These include 18 M240H 7.62 mm machine guns, M134 Miniguns, and 12.7 mm M3M machine guns.
The package also includes documentation, helmets and gear, spare parts, necessary tools, logistical support, and maintenance services.
The cost of the Black Hawk was compared with European counterparts
Defense Express notes that the cost of the Norwegian deal makes it possible to estimate the potential price of new Black Hawks for Ukraine. At the same time, Ukraine is primarily considering the possibility of obtaining used aircraft.
For comparison, Romania purchased 12 H225 helicopters for $993.8 million, or approximately $82.8 million per aircraft. The United Kingdom ordered 23 AW149 helicopters for $1.34 billion, which amounts to about $58.3 million each.
The publication emphasized that a direct comparison of costs is conditional due to differences in configuration and additional equipment. In addition, the $2.3 billion figure is the maximum estimate under the U.S. approval for the sale, and the final contract value may be lower.
At the same time, the Black Hawk remains one of the main options for modernizing the Ukrainian Armed Forces' army aviation fleet. Its advantages include proven operational reliability, large-scale production, and the possibility of standardization with naval aviation, for which Ukraine is also considering helicopters from the Seahawk family.