The Lithuanian Armed Forces officially confirm the receipt of the first UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters from the United States under an intergovernmental contract. The information was released by the Lithuanian Army’s press service via Facebook.
Lithuania has received its first UH-60M Black Hawk
“The first ‘Black Hawks’ of the Lithuanian Army. The first with the tricolor and the Cross of Vytis,” the message says.
– Lithuanian Armed Forces press service
Under the 2020 contract between the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence and the Pentagon, the country purchased four UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, as well as a set of equipment, spare parts, training, and services for maintenance and logistics.
Last year, at the Šiauliai Air Base, a hangar was established for storage, maintenance, and support of the operation of these helicopters.
The helicopters are expected to strengthen the Lithuanian Armed Forces’ tactical mobility, provide support to units on the battlefield, and enable rapid responses to threats and emergencies.
As noted by the head of Lithuania’s Ministry of Defence, Dovilė Šakalienė, Vilnius plans to allocate around 30 million dollars to the PURL program – an initiative to procure American weapons funded by NATO allies for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.