Black Hawk helicopter arrives at Fort Pierce Navy SEALs Museum November 19, 2014 5:47pm Story by Jana Eschbach/CBS12 NEWS FORT PIERCE -- Used in the most dangerous rescue missions by Navy Seals and Army rangers alike, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter set down today in Fort Pierce for good. This particular U-60 Black Hawk helicopter was used by Navy SEALs to rescue Poul Hagen Thisted and American Jessica Buchanan from Somali pirates in 2012. For this reason, the UDT Navy SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce wanted this piece of history as it is retired. “It takes a lot of connections in the military to be able to get one of these, which we have,” said 34-year Service Veteran Retired Navy SEAL Rick Kaiser, the Executive Director of the UDT Navy SEAL Museum, it’s a living piece of history from an actual mission that the SEALS conducted and the US Army. And now it lands in Fort Pierce. The Sikorsky helicopter model became famous in the 2001 biopic Black Hawk Down featuring the bloody Somalian rescue of 2 crews shot down by the militia. 18 American lives were lost in the battle. The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-bladed, twin-engine, medium-lift utility helicopter designed by Sikorsky Aircraft in 1972. According to Sikorsky, theYUH-60A entered service with the U.S. Army in 1979, to replace the Bell UH 1. Improved UH-60L and UH-60M utility variants have also been developed for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, according to a Sikorsky spokesperson. The UH-60 “Black Hawk”, and its predecessor the UH-1 “Huey”, are the most iconic helicopters in the US Military. Together, they have been used for over half a century in operations around the world. “To receive this helicopter is truly exceptional. However, to actually have it flown here and land on the premises is what makes this a once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Ken Corona, Assistant Executive Director of the Navy SEAL Museum. “I cannot imagine the Navy SEALs being able to do even a fraction of their missions without this aircraft” said retired Navy SEAL and Museum Executive Director Rick Kaiser. “This aircraft can do just about anything and, much like the individuals who fly it, is extremely versatile and dynamic” he added. In the May 2011 operation that killed Osama bin Laden, it emerged that the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, which operated the helicopters during the raid, used a highly modified version of the UH-60. Features apparently include a modified tail section with extra blades on the tail rotor and other additions which significantly reduced noise levels below that of conventional UH-60s. It also had low-observable technology similar to that of the F-117 that enabled it to evade Pakistan Air Force radars. The aircraft seemed to include features like special high-tech materials, harsh angles, and flat surfaces, found only on sophisticated stealth jets. This came to light only when one of the helicopters used in the operation crashed and was subsequently destroyed except for its tail section. Low observable versions of the Black Hawk have been studied as far back as the mid-1970s. The elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Night Stalkers delivered the Black Hawk helicopter to the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce where a crowd of veteran families awaited. “I came to see the helicopter crews,” said Donna Wilcox, a museum visitor,those guys do a fantastic job. I mean they put their lives on the line for the rest of us you know. The good news is it will stay put on the ground inside, since during its intense landing, the force from its wind shear launched chunks of dirt into the air. Theres a long process you have to go through in order to get something like this from the Army and fortunately we were approved, Kaiser said. The Somalia combat missions are one of hundreds flown by Navy Seals in this Black Hawk, piloted by US Army Rangers. Most of the missions they can’t tell you about, since they are still classified missions. Before the Black Hawk goes on display to the public, it has to be demilitarized. Army Rangers on site are removing and re-purposing a lot of equipment here to save the taxpayers money, and take back to their base in Kentucky. The UDT Navy Seals Museum and Memorial Wall is run by retired Navy Seals and veteran organizations. They are supported by donations alone. The new Black Hawk will sit in the museum next to another famous movie icon—the orange rescue boat from Captain Phillips. For more information, call the Museum at 3300 N Hwy A1A, Fort Pierce, FL 34949 (772) 595-5845 or click navysealmuseum.org
Posted on: Thu, 20 Nov 2014 05:42:23 +0000
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