What are Black Hawk helicopters and how are they used? What to know after D.C. plane crash
The military helicopter that collided with a regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, in a crash that killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft, was a UH-60 Black Hawk, considered the “workhorse” of U.S. Army aviation.
The military helicopter that collided with a regional jet near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in a crash that killed all 67 people aboard both aircraft was a UH-60 Black Hawk, considered the “workhorse” of Army aviation.
The helicopter is a “utility tactical transport” aircraft — used for everything from air assault to relief operations — that the Army says it has relied on for every major operation around the world for more than four decades.
First introduced in the Army in 1979, the aircraft is generally considered safe and has a strong track record for reliability and survivability in combat and transport missions, said Timothy A. Loranger, an aviation attorney and former aircraft mechanic.
Aircraft wreckage on the Potomac River in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.Brandon Giles / U.S. Coast Guard via Getty ImagesSikorsky, a subsidiary of the aerospace and defense giant Lockheed-Martin, says it has built more than 5,000 of the helicopters for 36 countries.
The Army has said it expects the aircraft to be a key part of its fleet for the next three decades.
Rating: 5