The Lithuanian Armed Forces has received its first two Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from an order placed in 2020.
“Bird in a cage: here are Lithuania’s first UH-60M helicopters,” the Lithuanian Armed Forces announced in a post on X on October 19, 2025. “The first Black Hawks bearing the Lithuanian flag and the Cross of Vytis.”
On October 20, 2025, Lithuania’s Ministry of National Defense announced in a statement that these new helicopters are already ready to fly and will make the Lithuanian Armed Forces “faster and stronger”.
According to the ministry, each Black Hawk can reach a maximum speed of about 355 kilometers per hour (220 miles per hour) and has a maximum takeoff weight of around 10 tons. The helicopters can ascend to altitudes of up to 5,800 meters (19,000 feet) and carry a crew of four along with up to 11 troops.
The aircraft is equipped with two GE T700-GE-701D engines, GPS navigation, autopilot, and a night vision system, and its armament includes two 7.62 mm M240H machine guns. With an auxiliary fuel tank, the helicopter has an operational range of up to 1,300 kilometers (807 miles).
The ministry highlighted the UH-60M’s versatility, highlighting its multifunctional capabilities for transporting cargo and troops, performing search and rescue (SAR), firefighting, and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) missions.
Ministry officials said that aircraft of this type “enhance the logistics, rapid response, and international cooperation capabilities of Lithuania, NATO, and allied forces”.
These Black Hawk helicopters were purchased from the United States in 2020 through a €181 million agreement between the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense and the US Department of Defense, for a total of four helicopters of this kind.
The new Black Hawks are intended to replace the aging Soviet Mi-8s and complement three Eurocopter AS365 Dauphins, which are primarily used for search and rescue missions and environmental monitoring in the country.
More than 30 countries, including the United States, Poland, Turkey, and other NATO members, currently operate this helicopter globally. The neighboring Latvian Air Force received its first two UH-60M helicopters back in December 2022.
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