The U.S. Army is planning to cut roughly 157 Black Hawk utility helicopters, or 7.5% of its total fleet, in preparation for the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) that will begin fielding in the early 2030s. The Army chose Textron-Bell’s V-280 Valor tiltrotor aircraft to replace the 40-year-old Sikorsky-manufactured UH-60. McCurry plans to remove the oldest aircraft, with each expected to fetch roughly $2 million. The Army remains committed to upgrading its Mike-model Black Hawks and Black Hawks are also expected to get brand new engines, but the effort has been delayed. Meanwhile, the Army is also examining the size of the Boeing-manufactured CH-47 Chinook cargo fleet to ensure it matches the service’s force structure and end strength.
The service plans to cut the older helicopters, but keep the newer models and continues to provide the Victor-model to the Army National Guard. AH-64 Apache attack helicopters will not get the same review at this time, as the Army has remained short of AH-64s.
