Australia has received its first two UH-60M Black Hawks just six months after the federal government confirmed it would purchase 40 in a US$2 billion deal.
On Sunday, Defence revealed the helicopters were transported by a US C-17 to RAAF Base Richmond in Sydney on 30 July.
The new aircraft are expected to replace Australia’s fleet of 47 Airbus-built MRH-90 Taipans, alongside an order for 12 MH-60R Seahawk/Romeo helicopters.
First introduced into the US Army in 1979, the UH-60 Black Hawk answers the US need for a robust utility helicopter system.
In the 43 years since, Black Hawks have accumulated over 9 million flight hours around the world and have been utilised by military powers on basically every continent, including countries such as China, Brazil, Israel and Poland.