The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of four Sikorsky UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters to Argentina under a package valued at up to US$140 million.
The helicopters are intended for the Argentine Army, which has been seeking a replacement for its Bell UH-1H and Huey II fleet. The approval also includes two spare T700-GE-701D engines, communications and navigation equipment, rescue hoists, internal auxiliary fuel tanks, a fast-rope insertion and extraction system, spare parts, training and logistical support.
The Foreign Military Sales approval does not represent a completed contract, and the final value could be lower depending on the equipment and services eventually purchased.
The UH-60L is an earlier generation of the Black Hawk than the UH-60M currently produced for the U.S. Army and several export customers.
Introduced during the late 1980s as an improvement over the original UH-60A, the L received more powerful T700-GE-701C engines and an upgraded transmission but retained a largely analog cockpit.
The UH-60M, which entered U.S. Army service in the following decade, introduced T700-GE-701D engines, improved rotor blades, a digital glass cockpit, modern flight controls and an integrated vehicle health management system.
Argentina’s package is notable because it includes two spare -701D engines despite the aircraft being UH-60Ls. The published notification does not identify the origin, serial numbers or previous operators of the four helicopters, nor does it say that they will be converted to the UH-60V standard.
The UH-60V is a separate U.S. Army modernization program that gives existing UH-60Ls a digital cockpit and avionics architecture with capabilities closer to those of the UH-60M while retaining the older airframes.
First Army Black Hawks
The acquisition would give the Argentine Army its first Black Hawks. Argentine officials had already disclosed plans earlier this year to acquire an initial four UH-60Ls, while local reports have described a longer-term requirement that could eventually reach 20 aircraft.
Argentina, however, is not entirely new to the Black Hawk family. A single Sikorsky S-70A-30, construction number 70-2031, was acquired in 1994 as H-01 for the Argentine presidential fleet. Built with a VIP interior, the helicopter was used for presidential transportation for nearly three decades.
The aircraft was transferred from the presidential fleet to the Argentine Air Force in 2024. It was initially redesignated ARG-10 and later H-10, and is now associated with the VII Air Brigade. The former presidential Black Hawk remained active after the transfer and was photographed flying from Buenos Aires Aeroparque in January 2025.
