The UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter has offered tremendous battlefield lift capacity over the last 40 years -- as variations of this reliable helicopter serve as an armed escort, fire-fighter, medical evacuation platform or to deliver and extract critical supplies or troops.

The four-blade, twin engine, medium-lift helicopter entered service in 1979. It was designed and manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft and won a competition for the US Army in 1972. The American aerospace company Lockheed Martin bought Sikorsky in 2015.

It is one of the most desired medium-lift military helicopters worldwide.

More than 4,000 Black Hawk aircraft of various types are in service worldwide, according to Lockheed Martin. More than half of those are with the US Army.

Thirty-four other countries use the Black Hawk, including South Korea, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Israel, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Sweden, Taiwan, Tunisia and Turkey.

The United Kingdom is making a major investment in Black Hawks. On September 12, Lockheed Martin and the UK Ministry of Defense outlined a plan to use the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter to replace the United Kingdom's aging mixed medium helicopter fleet.

Other countries with interests in acquiring the UH-60 Black Hawk include the United Arab Emirates, Brunei, Qatar, Indonesia, Croatia, Malaysia, Latvia, Lithuania and Portugal.

Variations for special missions

During the past 40 years, upgrades to the Black Hawk have improved survivability and situational awareness and equipped it to fly higher and carry more cargo. It has more powerful engines, digital avionics, composite rotor blades and a stronger airframe.

The versatile helicopter also has multiple variants to equip it for a variety of missions.

A VIP version, the VH-60N, transports the president of the United States and other senior government officials. It uses the call sign "Marine One" when transporting the president.

The Armed Black Hawk has an advanced weapon system with forward firing guns, rockets and laser-designated air-to-ground missiles. The weapon system is fully integrated with the digital flight controls and calculated range and ballistics, to allow pilot gunners to identify and engage stationary or moving targets at day or night.

The Navy has used several variations of the SH-60 Sea Hawk for transport or anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare. About 80% of the helicopter is the same as the Army's Black Hawk, but it has more powerful engines, different landing gear and corrosion protection for use at sea.

The Air Force has a highly modified version called the HH-60 Pave Hawk. Its primary mission is to conduct personnel recovery operations during war. It can also perform civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, security cooperation, disaster response, humanitarian assistance and NASA space flight support, according to the Air Force.

The new HH-60W "Whiskey" Black Hawk adds capability advancements to better support combat rescue and other special missions for the Air Force. It was designed to replace aging Pave Hawk helicopters.

The Coast Guard has the MH-60 Jayhawk, an all-weather version specialized for search and rescue. There are more than 40 Jayhawks in the Coast Guard air fleet. They are typically operated by a crew of four.

Distinguished combat record

The UH-60 Black Hawk has a distinguished combat record. The US military first used the Black Hawk in combat during the invasion of Grenada. It was also involved in Panama, Iraq, Somalia, the Balkans, Afghanistan and other areas of the Middle East.

It was part of the largest air assault mission in US Army history in the Gulf War, when more than 300 helicopters were involved. Most of them carried troops and equipment into the objective area.

Black Hawks also played a major role in the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia in 1993. They conducted air assaults and other support missions in Iraq in 2003.

The basic mission of the Black Hawk is to provide tactical transport for the US Army. It carries troops and provides general support, air assault, command and control, electronic warfare and aeromedical evacuation.

The Black Hawk can carry significant weight. In an air assault, the UH-60 can carry 11 fully equipped combat troops with their whole mission sets, in addition to the crew of three (pilot, co-pilot, crew chief). It can carry 20 lightly equipped personnel. The dedicated medevac variant can carry six litters.

It can reposition 105mm artillery and an artillery crew of four in a single lift. The UH-60 Black Hawk can carry 2,600 pounds (1,180kg) of cargo internally. Externally, it can carry up to 9,000 pounds (4,100kg) in a sling.

The UH-60 can also be equipped with "Stub Wings" at the top of the fuselage so it can carry fuel tanks or different armaments.

A total of four fuel tanks can be mounted for 1,333 extra gallons (5,046 liters) of fuel to extend the helicopter's range. The Stub Wings can also carry 10,000 pounds (4,500kg) of armament such as rockets, missiles and gun pods.

The Black Hawk can carry such missiles as the AGM-114 Hellfire and AIM-92 Stingers.

The long, narrow profile of the UH-60 Black Hawk makes it more transportable. The C-17 Globemaster cargo airplane can carry four UH-60s with minimal disassembly of the helicopters.

The Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft can transport one UH-60 Black Hawk.

With their strength, transportability and adaptability, Black Hawk helicopters offer the United States military and other nations significant battlefield lift capability all over the world.