Last month, the 5000th Black Hawk helicopter was delivered to the US Army by Sikorsky. Since BMT Aerospace has been delivering main rotor and tail rotor gears for this iconic helicopter since 2009, this means that we also contributed to the delivery of the 5000th Black Hawk. Something we are very proud of!
Forty years ago, the first Black Hawk was delivered and has since been employed by over 30 countries. The U.S. Army's intention to continue using the Black Hawk in frontline operations for another 40 years is a testament to its reliability.
Our contribution for the Black Hawk
BMT Aerospace is honored to have been selected as the supplier for complex input module bevel gearing, main rotor transmission gears, and flight safety tail rotor bevel gears used on the Black Hawk Helicopter.
Due to part complexity, Sikorsky had experienced difficulty obtaining hardware from their existing supply chain. These parts require maintaining close, consistent tolerances through heat treatment and finish machining to meet final part geometry and case depth properties. BMT Aerospace was chosen as a trial source in 2009 for these Black Hawk gears and quickly became the primary source of supply for production hardware.
Below you can see an example of how our parts are implemented in helicopters.
About the Black Hawk
Sikorsky, now a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin, developed the Black Hawk in the 1970s. It has since become a widely used medium-lift utility helicopter for both military and civilian operators around the world.
The Black Hawk is renowned for its versatility, as it can be deployed in a variety of missions such as troop transport, medical evacuation, search and rescue, and special operations. Subsequent variants have been released over the years with improved avionics, engines and rotor systems; the most recent being the UH-60M model.
This helicopter is known for its ruggedness, reliability and low maintenance requirements which make it suitable for use in different environments and conditions.