In the context of bilateral defense negotiations, the United States is considering the possibility of transferring Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Argentina at low cost or even free of charge.
The initiative aims to strengthen operational capabilities of the Army Aviation through the initial incorporation of between two and four used units.
The project seeks to progressively replace the Bell UH-1H Iroquois helicopters and their modernized Huey II versions, which currently make up the fleet and have accumulated over five decades in service.
In this context, the arrival of the Black Hawk would allow for the recovery of transport and deployment capabilities that currently face limitations.
The proposal gained momentum again after official meetings held in March, when former Defense Minister Luis Petri traveled to the United States. There, a broader cooperation agenda was discussed, which also includes other systems, such as Stryker armored vehicles, in line with a military modernization strategy of the Government of Javier Milei.
Black Hawk helicopter.
As analyst Andrei Serbin Pont explained, the alternative under discussion arises as a more viable option given the high cost of acquiring new helicopters.
The original plan contemplated the purchase of about 20 new units, but that possibility became conditioned by amounts that, as he pointed out, rise to “hundreds of millions of dollars.”
In contrast, the current scheme proposes to start the incorporation with a small batch of decommissioned UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters. Although they are not the most modern variants, the analyst stated that “it would already be an advance and probably at a much lower cost.”
The discussion includes that these first units could be transferred “at very low cost or free of charge,” as part of cooperation agreements. In this sense, the plan foresees gradually expanding the fleet as the older systems currently in operation are retired.
Javier Milei and Donald Trump.
Today, the UH-1H and Huey II helicopters make up “the backbone of the army aviation,” as Serbin Pont detailed, with about 40 units in service. The incorporation of the Black Hawk would allow for a first step towards the modernization of that structure, while maintaining existing capabilities.
Chinook Helicopters
In parallel, discussions include the analysis of incorporating heavy Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters, a model that Argentina has operated in the past.
These aircraft play a key role due to their capacity to transport personnel and cargo, both internally and externally, and generate interest from both the Army and the Air Force.
Serbin Pont recalled that two units participated in the Falklands War: one was destroyed and the other was immobilized and lost during the conflict. Currently, the potential reintroduction of this type of helicopter is being evaluated as a way to fill a historical gap in heavy transport capabilities.
Access to new units presents difficulties due to production and delivery times, so the alternative under study includes the acquisition of decommissioned helicopters from other countries, with the possibility of modernizing them before their incorporation into the local system.
In this scenario, a hypothesis is being analyzed for the incorporation of four Chinooks, distributed between the Army and the Air Force. According to the analyst, combined with the Black Hawks and the remaining UH-1s, they would allow for a broader capacity for airborne deployment.
Negotiations continue to develop and are part of a broader military cooperation scheme between Argentina and the United States, aimed at updating equipment and recovering operational capabilities in various strategic areas.
