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MH-60L Black Hawk: Air Cavalry!
27 October 2023 Development

The Black Hawk is an American utility helicopter developed as the successor to the prolific UH-1 Huey. Arriving to the game in the upcoming War Thunder update in one of its later modifications, the MH-60L expands upon the strengths of its predecessor and will soon reinforce the American helicopter trees!

MH-60L Black Hawk: A Helicopter for the USA at Rank VII

Features:

  • Advanced ordnance options.
  • Good survivability.
  • HIRSS and IRCM
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Vehicle History▼

By the late 1960s, the U.S. Army began drawing up requirements for a new utility helicopter to replace the successful UH-1 Iroquois. Requesting design proposals in 1972, the Army was approached by several manufacturers, including Sikorsky, which put forward their S-70 design. Shortly afterward, Sikorsky received the order to construct several prototypes for comparative testing against the Boeing-Vertol’s rival design. Designated as YUH-60, the Sikorsky’s prototype first took to the skies in October 1974 before three units were delivered to the Army for trials in March 1976.

Being selected as the winning design by the Army later that year, the Sikorsky S-70 was ordered into production under the designation UH-60 and receiving the official nickname “Black Hawk”. After the first units rolled off the assembly line, the Black Hawk entered service with the Army in 1979. After entering service, the Black Hawk received many modifications and upgrades which negatively impacted its performance characteristics. Due to the degrading performance, in 1987 the Army ordered the development of an improved version, the UH-60L. Most notably, this variant introduced more powerful engines and allowed the Black Hawk to carry a substantially higher payload of offensive weapons.

Meet the MH-60L Black Hawk!

In War Thunder, the MH-60L Black Hawk will arrive as one of the top additions to the American research tree with the release of the upcoming major update! Being introduced in one of its later modifications, the MH-60L features overall design improvements which most notably allow it to carry a powerful weapons arsenal. Let’s dive into the details!

Interesting: The MH-60L was given the name “Black Hawk”, from Black Hawk who was a Native American Sauk leader in the 19th century.

Arriving to the game in its special “Direct Action Penetrator” modification, the MH-60L features provisions to carry a wide range of ordnance. This includes advanced air-to-ground and air-to-air missiles in the form of Hellfire, AGR-20A and B, and Stingers respectively, but also more conventional weapons such as unguided Hydra rocket pods! In short, the Black Hawk’s arsenal can be adapted to any mission scenario and will allow you to engage the enemy from a distance with missiles as well as get in up close and personal with unguided rockets and gunpods.

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While the Black Hawk is quite fast for a helicopter and possesses exceptional armament to both engage aerial and surface targets, it remains easy prey to vigilant enemy anti-air units as well as pilots, not least because of the MH-60L’s comparably large size. To assist you in surviving the many dangers of the modern battlefield, the MH-60L comes equipped with modern RWR, heat suppression and IRCM systems as well as flares and chaff! This is all in an effort to make target acquisition for enemy forces more challenging and give the Black Hawk better odds of escaping a dangerous situation unscathed.

In your matches: Pro-tips when using the MH-60L Black Hawk by Tom (Oxy), WT Community Manager (TL): “It’s known for being quite robust as far as helicopters go, but only relatively — it can take a beating but it’s far from invulnerable, so make sure you aren’t treating it like it's invulnerable with how you play it. Like most helicopters, try to stick around cover and avoid sitting out in the open. It also comes with a wide array of weaponry, so I’d suggest making a few different presets tailored to different maps.

The MH-60L Black Hawk will soon bolster the top ranks of the American helicopter tree upon its arrival to War Thunder as part of the next major update. In the meantime, make sure to keep a close watch on the news as we continue unveiling more interesting new features awaiting you in the upcoming update. Until then, see you soon!

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