Greece signs for Black Hawk fleet in Lockheed’s 8th order of the year

by Sam Cranny-Evans, 7th November 2024

Greece has signed a contract with Lockheed Martin for the procurement of 35 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters marking Lockheed’s eighth contract for helicopters from the Black Hawk family in 2024, according to a 29th October company press release. 

The Hellenic Army has ordered 35 UH-60M helicopters along with training for personnel, training equipment, and an initial package of parts. The approval from the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency valued the deal at $1.95 billion (EUR1.49 billion) including 80 T-700/401D engines – 70 of them installed on the helicopters with 10 spare.  The approved sale was extensive, covering all possible communications equipment, as well as facilities for stretchers, door guns, and self-protection systems. 

The first deliveries are expected to take place in 2027, with Greek personnel heading to the US for initial training on the platform ahead of then. The procurement is intended to replace the UH-1 Hueys, and they will be divided amongst the Greek armed forces, including four for the country’s special forces, according to OnAlert.gr, a Greek news outlet. An additional contract for seven years’ worth of maintenance and support valued at $134 million (EUR125 million) has been signed, OnAlert states. 

Greece is embarking on an extensive modernisation of its armed forces. Spending on new equipment was curtailed by the country’s financial crisis that started in late 2009, but the evolving geopolitical situation including continued tension with Türkiye and the war in Ukraine has accelerated a modernisation initiated in 2021. The country plans to overhaul its armed forces by 2030 and modernise them in line with the kinds of standards established throughout Europe. This includes modern communications and IT infrastructure, state of the art combat platforms – covering the procurement and domestic development of drones – as well as the wider introduction of electronic warfare. To that end, the Lockheed UH-60M will provide a significant uplift in terms of multi-role capabilities, and importantly ensure that the Hellenic Army is interoperable with its allies. They will join the country’s fleet of S-70R Black Hawks, the airframe of which is “virtually identical to the UH-60M,” according to Lockheed, as well as the MH-60R Black Hawk helicopters, which are configured for a maritime role. 

A Jordanian Armed Forces UH-60M Black Hawk, lands during Intrepid Maven 25.1, Oct. 21, 2024. The UH-60M has seen considerable success in export sales since 2022. Credit: USMC

Europe’s drive for modernisation has been good for Lockheed and justified its 2015 procurement of Sikorsky Helicopters. The Greek contract is the eighth Black Hawk procurement in 2024 and in total, the US Government has awarded contracts to Sikorsky to build and deliver 84 UH-60M Black Hawks to countries around the world. The known contracts for 2024 including values according to the FMS announcements are summarised in the table below.