Colombia receives 5 Sikorsky S-70i helicopters

Colombia has received 5 new multi-purpose Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters from the United States.  It is the first country in South America to have bought the aircraft.

The S-70i were custom made for the Special Forces of the Colombian Army. The aircraft were build at PZL Mielec, a subsidiary of Sikorsky in Poland. They join 96 UH-60L aircraft already in service in Colombia.

The Sikorsky S-70i is a medium transport and utility helicopter with the following specifications:

• a crew of 2
• a length of 19.76 m
• a rotor diameter of 16.36 m
• a height of 5.33 m
• a payload of 4000 kg
• a empty weight of 5350 kg
• a maximum takeoff weight of 10000 kg
• a maximum speed of 361 km/hr
• a range of 463 km with 20 minutes reserve
• a ceiling of 4000 m

The S-70i is powered by 2 General Electric T700-GE-701C turboshafts with, 1409 kW (1890 shp) each.

The Black Hawk helicopters can perform a wide variety of missions including:

• troop transport and air assault
• search and rescue (SAR)
• medical evacuation (MEDEVAC)
• cargo lift
• VIP transport

Over 3000 Black Hawk helicopters of various types are in service in over 30 countries around the world.


http://www.sikorsky.com/About+Sikorsky/News/Press+Details?pressvcmid=bd8830d295e8d310VgnVCM1000004f62529fRCRD

By Julian H. [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons