Systematic failure in the Black Hawk

gf0012-aust

Grumpy Old Man
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The U.S. military has identified a systematic failure in the Black Hawk utility helicopter, a staple in many Middle East militaries.

The U.S. Navy cited a series of problems in the new Black Hawk ordered by the service. They include cracks that could result in frame damage as well as the penchant for the helicopter's cargo berth to open in mid-flight.

As a result, the military has delayed acceptance of the new Black Hawk as well as a variant, the MH-60S, or Sierra, helicopter, an amalgam of the UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter and its Navy variant, the SH-60B Seahawk. All of these platforms are manufactured by Sikorsky.

The Feb. 24 navy report cited a series of problems with the MH-60, built for both the army and navy. They included stripped bolts, leaking gearboxes, and insufficiently tightened bolts. Another problem cited was a mix-up of parts.

http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2004/march/03_10_4.html
 

Michael Ravi

New Member
Hi everyone.
Well I must say that our helicopter industry is probably not at its peak right now. However it could also be attributed to negative journalism where everybody is now trying to bash the American helicopter industry at any chance they can get, ever since the Comanche thing.
 

Winter

New Member
Michael Ravi said:
Hi everyone.
Well I must say that our helicopter industry is probably not at its peak right now. However it could also be attributed to negative journalism where everybody is now trying to bash the American helicopter industry at any chance they can get, ever since the Comanche thing.
Yep...That's a mirror of Gremlin's statement:

http://defencetalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=10608&highlight=mh60#10608

Welcome to the forums.

:frosty
 

Gremlin29

Super Moderator
Staff member
Verified Defense Pro
The story should be titled "Systematic Success of the Black Hawk Team". As I've previously mentioned, it's simply the media trying to make a story out of nothing. Sure it's true, but it's not unusual or really even remarkable. Comanche was canceled for budget reasons, and other reasons that most of us will never know. It has nothing to do with the US rotorcraft industry as a whole and is certainly no indicator that things are going downhill.
 
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