The Army's Black Hawk Helicopters Are Getting A Once In A Generation Replacement

The Sikorsky S-70, better known as the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter, is finally set to be replaced. As Popular Science reports, the Black Hawk, a veteran of American aerial combat dating back to the Reagan-era conflicts in Central and South America, finally has a successor in the U.S. Army.

The Black Hawk has been the chosen mount of U.S. Cavalry units practically since they gave up horses — the first Black Hawk took to the skies in 1979, barely missing the Vietnam War, according to the U.S. Army. Air Cav and other Army units with aerial presence have sworn by the Black Hawk since; the craft's iconic silhouette has been sighted in skies across the world, delivering everything from destructive airstrikes in war zones to supplies and aid workers for the victims of disasters.

The Black Hawk is also a core vehicle for America's allies, seeing service in the armed forces of countries from Australia to Turkey. The U.K. may even be buying more Black Hawks into service; an upgraded version of the old warhorse is one of four candidates for the RAF's New Medium Helicopter competition (via The Defense Post).

That said, America's strategic needs have changed since the 1970s. The new Black Hawk replacement technically won't be a helicopter at all. At least, not quite. The Army has tapped the V-280 Valor to fill the role. Here's what we know.

The Valor isn't a conventional helicopter. Rather, it's a tiltrotor aircraft, a combination of a helicopter and a prop-driven airplane capable of vertical or linear flight.

Bell Flight

The tiltrotor concept isn't new but has both literally and figuratively struggled to get off the ground. As Fortune reports, the V-22 Osprey, the first aircraft to implement the concept, was criticized for its poor safety record and cost-effectiveness during its prolonged development from 1983 to 2000, enduring several crashes and other ignominious failures. The Osprey has continued support in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, however (via Real Clear Defense). Tiltrotors have since been widely deployed on military and civilian drones (via Interesting Engineering).

The V-280 Valor is the most attention-grabbing deployment of tiltrotor aircraft yet. Built by Bell Flight, the Valor purports to be faster and more agile than a conventional helicopter, with a far greater operational range. In addition to its warfighting capabilities, Bell envisions roles for the Valor in medevac, utility, and humanitarian assistance.

Exact numbers on Valor production and deployment have yet to be released, but they are due to replace over 2,000 Black Hawks currently in service and may be deployed in other settings as well (via Military.com).