Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk

Book excerpt: The successor to the Vietnam-veteran Bell UH-1 "Huey", the Sikorsky UH-60 first flew in 1974 and was christened the Black Hawk. It has become one of the most versatile and successful utility helicopters ever in service and has been used widely, from the invasion of Grenada to the conflict in Somalia and the ongoing Operation Iraqi Freedom. An attack helicopter configured with missiles, rockets, machine guns and cannon the Black Hawk is also capable of undertaking a wide range of missions on the battlefield, including troop transport, command and control and aeromedical evacuation. Although the Black Hawk is most recently associated with the disaster in Mogadishu, this book looks past Hollywood interpretations to investigate the design, development and operations of arguably the most important helicopter in the world today, with fantastic full-color digital artwork and up-to-date information about the BlackHawk's role in Iraq. Also examined are the more unconventional missions the BlackHawk has been used in, from drug-busting operations in South America to peace-keeping operations around the world.