Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced on August 16 that the first three UH-60M Black Hawks for the Lithuanian Air Force (serials 21-27463 21-27464 and 21-27466) have been transferred from the Sikorsky factory to the modification facility in Huntsville, Alabama, for completion.

The fourth (serial 21-27465) was due to follow by the end of that month. Delivery of the first two – along with additional equipment – is scheduled for 2024, by which time air and ground crew will have been fully trained.

The utility helicopter was selected in late 2019 as a replacement for Lithuania’s elderly Mi-8Ts, which have reached the end of their service life and are becoming increasingly difficult to operate. US State Department approval for the purchase of six UH-60Ms was granted on July 6, 2020. However, ultimately only four of these helicopters were ordered through a contract signed on November 13, 2020, although the deal also included options on a further two.