Ft. Knox Flight - 3

Chris let me in the hanger after his flight. There were two Blackhawks in the building that I could walk around and photograph. The helicopter in the first two photos is a UH-60L. It is a second generation Blackhawk model dating back to 1989. The original UH-60A model was introduced in 1979. There were a few upgrades to the A model before the L took over. The second two photos show a UH-60M - a third generation model introduced around 2001. Just a FYI, the M model is the airframe flown by Seal Team 6 for the Bin Laden raid. As we know now, there were some special modifications made to that airframe to make it less visible to radar.

You can see the jet exhaust of the L model in the second photo pointing directly to the rear. If you look closely in the M photos, you see the jet exhaust pointing up under the rotor blades resulting in a lower heat signature for enemy missiles. This difference makes identification of the two models quick and easy. The avionics (computers and flight software) are significantly upgraded in the M model.

Thanks,

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