Argentina Signs Agreement for Four Army Black Hawk Helicopters

Argentina signed an agreement on November 6 to acquire four UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters for its Army, the Defense Ministry said. The Letter of Offer and Acceptance was signed at the Edificio Libertador in Buenos Aires, with Defense Minister Carlos Alberto Presti and US Ambassador Peter Lamelas among the signatories. The ministry put the cost of the first four aircraft, including spare parts and supplies, at approximately US$28 million. The acquisition uses the US Foreign Military Sales system and its Black Hawk Exchange and Sales Transaction program. The ministry said the helicopters would form “the initial nucleus of a new tactical mobility capability.” It described aircraft able to carry approximately 11 fully equipped troops and fly at about 280 km/h, depending on their load and flight conditions. Their intended missions include troop transport, search and rescue, carrying external loads and emergency response, including firefighting with suspended water buckets. In his own account of the signing, Lamelas welcomed the step in bilateral defense cooperation. He said the aircraft were intended to support border security, efforts against transnational crime and responses to disasters. The ministry said technical teams and flight crews had already traveled to Colombia to exchange experience with a regional Black Hawk operator. It traced consideration of the acquisition to Presti's command of the IV Airborne Brigade in Córdoba in 2023 and his leadership of the Army General Staff in 2024. The first of the four helicopters is expected to arrive before the end of 2026, according to the ministry.