Sikorsky Agrees Flexible Black Hawk Contract With US Army
Sikorsky and the US Army have agreed a flexible Black Hawk production contract that starts with 16 aircraft and is expected to grow by more than 100 helicopters over the coming years. Airforce Technology reported the agreement on October 1, 2026, and said it was concluded ahead of the company’s year-end target.
Sikorsky is a Lockheed Martin company. The contract is built so the Army can add orders as requirements develop, which matters most for allied governments whose Foreign Military Sales cases are still maturing.
Sikorsky Builds Flexibility Into the Black Hawk Contract
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Customer | US Army, with Foreign Military Sales customers to follow |
| Contractor | Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company |
| Initial order | 16 aircraft |
| Expected growth | More than 100 additional aircraft over coming years |
| Funding | Fiscal 2025 and 2026 appropriations plus the Black Hawk Exchange and Sales Transaction (BEST) programme |
| Reported | October 1, 2026 |
Rich Benton, Sikorsky’s vice president, said the deal “is not only fast but flexible” and “turns a partner-nation decision into aircraft on the ramp faster than conventional procurement allows.” The company says the structure lets the Army fold in new orders without negotiating a fresh contract each time.
How the BEST Programme Helps Pay for New Helicopters
The first 16 aircraft are funded from fiscal 2025 and 2026 appropriations, supplemented by BEST. That programme reinvests the proceeds from selling older Army helicopters, an arrangement that lets retired airframes pay for part of the replacements.
Separate reporting by The Defense Post in September described a $234.46 million undefinitized contract modification for 16 UH-60M helicopters, raising the cumulative face value of that contract to $356.25 million. We have not been able to confirm that it is the same award as the flexible agreement described here, so we treat the figures as related but separate.
A Fleet Spread Across 36 Nations
| Measure | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Aircraft delivered | More than 5,000 | Sikorsky, via Airforce Technology |
| Operating nations | More than 36 | Sikorsky, via Airforce Technology |
| Flight hours | More than 15 million | Sikorsky, via Airforce Technology |
| Suppliers | 230 across 43 US states | Sikorsky, via Airforce Technology |
| Supported US jobs | About 55,000 | Sikorsky, via Airforce Technology |
| Annual supplier spending | More than $1.5 billion | Sikorsky, via Airforce Technology |
Those numbers explain why an open-ended contract suits the programme. A long export tail means new orders arrive from several governments at different times, and a fixed-quantity buy would need amending each time.
Sikorsky and Lockheed Martin at a Glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Parent | Lockheed Martin, Bethesda, Maryland |
| Employees (parent) | About 123,000 (end of 2025) |
| Revenue (parent) | $75.0 billion (2025) |
| Segment | Rotary and Mission Systems, $17.3 billion in 2025 sales |
| Sikorsky programmes | Black Hawk, Seahawk, CH-53K |
Black Hawk Contract FAQ
How many Black Hawks are in the initial order?
16 aircraft.
How many more are expected?
Sikorsky expects more than 100 additional aircraft over the coming years.
Why is the contract called flexible?
It lets the Army add orders as requirements develop, including Foreign Military Sales cases for allied nations.
Who builds the Black Hawk?
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company.
What is BEST?
The Black Hawk Exchange and Sales Transaction programme, which reinvests proceeds from divested older helicopters into new aircraft.
- Airforce Technology – “Sikorsky and US Army agree flexible Black Hawk production contract” (October 1, 2026): airforce-technology.com
- The Defense Post – US Army Black Hawk contract modification (September 23, 2026): thedefensepost.com
- Lockheed Martin company data via our company profile
