Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, received a four-year contract from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) to provide logistical support to the 16 UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters in service.
As reported by the company in a statement, the multi-year agreement simplifies and speeds up access to spare parts and engineering knowledge. Fleet maintenance will be improved thanks to local storage of the most recurring spare parts, assistance from a regional Sikorsky field technician, and direct technical support from Sikorsky Engineering.
«We thank the Brazilian Air Force for selecting Sikorsky to provide the highest level of logistical support for the Black Hawk fleet sustainment,» said Felipe Benvegnu, Sikorsky´s Director for Business and Sustainability Development. «Local storage of spare parts will eliminate the long material lead times that would keep an aircraft on the ground. Close collaboration with Sikorsky engineers, either virtual or on-site, will also help Air Force´s maintenance personnel improve the readiness rates of these utility aircraft for important missions, such as search and rescue,» he added.
The Brazilian Air Force acquired its 16 Black Hawk aircraft through FMS (Foreign Military Sales) between 2006 and 2013.
The Air Force contract is based on a multi-year logistical support agreement between Sikorsky and the Brazilian Army. In 2019, after previous agreements with the Army, the flight availability rate of the four Army Black Hawk S-70A aircraft (equivalent to the UH-60L) reached 100% availability.
