U.S. Delivers First Black Hawks to Lithuania After One-Year Delay
The U.S. delivered the first two Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk utility helicopters to the Lithuanian Armed Forces after a one-year delay. The Baltic country’s military announced the arrival of the new helicopters in a post on its X page on October 19. The post included the following statements: “Bird in a cage: here are Lithuania’s first UH-60M helicopters. The first Black Hawks of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. The first Black Hawks bearing the Lithuanian flag and the Cross of Vytis.”
The delivery, considered a significant qualitative leap in the modernization of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, is the result of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) agreement signed between the governments of Washington and Vilnius on November 13, 2020, to purchase four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. The agreement, valued at approximately $218 million and partially financed by a $30 million contribution from the US government, includes additional equipment, spare parts, training, repair, and logistics support packages in addition to the helicopters.
The Black Hawks, which have already undergone initial test flights by Lithuanian Air Force personnel and passed flight tests without incident, will soon be officially deployed at the Šiauliai air base in the northern part of the country. The Šiauliai air base, which also serves as the primary Host Nation Support (HNS) center for NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, underwent a series of infrastructure improvements prior to the arrival of the Sikorsky UH-60Ms. Partially funded by NATO, the critical infrastructure development work at this air base included the construction of a modern hangar for housing the new helicopters, conducting maintenance and technical services, and accommodating administrative offices.
Lithuania expects to receive the remaining two Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk general-purpose helicopters in 2026. Upon completion of the delivery, Lithuania will completely fill the gap created by the Soviet Mi-8T helicopters it donated to Ukraine. The Baltic country’s small but highly capable fleet of Black Hawks will likely be used for Search and Rescue (SAR) operations and surveillance missions, alongside Airbus AS365 N3+ Dauphin helicopters. Also these UH-60 helicopters will also enable greater interoperability with US and NATO forces, allowing for rapid response to a wide range of missions and troop deployment with minimal helicopter presence.