Photo Courtesy: US Army
Representatives from the Utility Helicopter Project Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) marked the delivery of the first of four UH-60M aircraft that will enter service by July 2010.
With an improved airframe, avionics, and propulsion system, the UH-60M helicopter is the latest in a series of Black Hawk helicopter variants, built by the Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation. These helicopters will allow the CBP to better achieve its mission by modernizing its rotary-wing fleet from the UH-60A aircraft it now uses to protect the nation’s borders.
“The ceremony was a symbol of partnership and team work in an effort to improve U.S. security,” said Brig. Gen. William Crosby, program executive officer, who hosted the ceremony.
The Research, Development, and Engineering Command subordinate element, the Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), teamed with the Utility Helicopter Project Office to integrate CBP mission-specific equipment into the UH-60 L/M model aircraft. AMRDEC’s Product Integration Facility (PIF) is responsible for the management, design, fabrication, integration and installation of mission kits to include navigation, communication, emergency, and environmental controls. In addition, the PIF will team with the aviation engineering directorate to obtain an airworthiness release for these aircraft.
The CBP is one of the Department of Homeland Security’s largest and most complex components, with the mission of keeping terrorists and their weapons out of the United States. Its Office of Air and Marine is the world’s largest aviation and maritime law enforcement organization.
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