Among the various aircraft used by the armed forces and public security to help Rio Grande do Sul, one model has stood out as the only one capable of flying at night. Already well known in the media, the UH-60 Black Hawk is in use with the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) and since Tuesday (30), more than 240 people have been rescued from floods in RS by FAB helicopters.
Manufactured in the United States by Sikorsky (now part of Lockheed Martin), the Black Hawk came to replace another important helicopter, the UH-1 Huey/Iroquois, widely used in the Vietnam War and which also served in the FAB.
The model entered service from 1979 with the United States Army. Today, the Black Hawk is among the most important helicopters in service not only in the USA, but also in more than 35 countries. Although it is mainly a utility aircraft (hence the letter U in its designation), the UH-60 is a multirole model, capable of performing a series of activities such as troop insertion and extraction, air , anti-submarine warfare, firefighting, search and rescue and many other missions, some depending on special variants.
In January 2023, almost 50 years after its production began, Sikorsky celebrated the delivery of the 5000th Black Hawk, reinforcing the helicopter as a highly successful product in defense aviation and public security.
Black Hawk in Brazil
Although it is being used by the FAB in air during the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul, the history of the Black Hawk in Brazil does not begin with the Air Force, but with the Brazilian Army Aviation Command (CAvEx).
To carry out the activities of the Ecuador-Peru Military Observer Mission (MOMEP), implemented by the United Nations after the conflict between the two countries, CAvEx purchased four S-70 Black Hawks (export version of the UH-60), locally designated HM-2.
After the missions ended, the helicopters were incorporated into the 4th Army Aviation Battalion, a military organization based in Manaus (AM). After almost 30 years of operation, the HM-2s will be replaced by new Black Hawk in the process of being acquired by the Army.
In 2005, the Air Force Command announced the purchase of the first six UH-60L Black Hawks, designated H-60L by the institution and deployed in the Harpia Squadron, a unit that also has Manaus as its headquarters. It was only in 2011 that the famous North American helicopter landed in Rio Grande do Sul, at the Pantera Squadron at the Santa Maria base. A second batch of 12 aircraft, acquired in 2009, increased the fleet to the 18 aircraft currently in service. The model also equips the Pelican Squadron, specialized in search and rescue missions.
Three years later, the Brazilian Navy's Naval Aviation 'ed the club', acquiring four S-70B Seahawk helicopters, a variant for use in anti-submarine warfare. The initial contract was supplemented in 2011 and 2013, increasing the fleet to eight aircraft. Designated MH-16, the Seahawks are used by the 1st Anti-Submarine Helicopter Squadron (HS-1), the Warrior Squadron.
Floods in RS
On April 28th, the rains began, leading to the floods that mainly devastate the interior of Rio Grande do Sul and which, this Friday (04), began to cause greater disruption in the central and northern areas of the capital Porto Alegre. To date, 03 have been killed and 37 are missing.
Still on Tuesday (30), Governor Eduardo Leite went public, via social media, to appeal for urgent air to the state of Rio Grande do Sul. On the same day, a pair of H-60 Black Hawks from the Pantera Squadron were deployed in Operation Taquari II. According to data from the Air Force, Until 12 noon on 03/05, the helicopters rescued 244 people, six pets and carried out six aeromedical evacuations, accumulating around 36 hours of flight time.
FAB rescues family in Candelária during floods in RS.
ADVERTISING According to the Air Force Command, the group was trapped in a house at risk of collapsing. The rescue was conducted by soldiers from the Pantera Squadron with an H-60 Black Hawk helicopter 🚁 pic.twitter.com/lHPV9ujRp5
- Aeroflap (@Aeroflap) May 1, 2024
RS has received great from other states, the federal government and even Uruguay, which offered to deploy a Bell 212 helicopter to help rescue the islanders. Aircraft from Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro efforts with machines from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Police and Federal Highway Police, also working to transport supplies and insert search and rescue teams on the ground.
However, until other aerial means arrive, the FAB's Black Hawk is the only one capable of performing night flights amid floods. As the Brazilian Air Force explains, “When weather conditions are favorable at night, aircraft also carry out night flights, which is possible due to the FAB’s ability to operate using night vision goggles (NVG).”
“Even in borderline conditions, our helicopters are able to take off for the rescue using night vision equipment. This increases the chances of rescue in the shortest possible time, as we know that there are lives depending on it”, explains the Commander of the Panther Squadron, Lieutenant-Colonel Aviator Kleison Roni Reolon.
It is hoped that with the deployment of Army and Navy helicopters, more rescues can be carried out at night.
Editor's note: the Portal Aeroflap team thanks you for your service and wishes luck and care to the rescue teams, from Rio Grande do Sul, from other states and from the Union, committed to the mission.
