The Defence Committee unanimously approves the procurement of new Black Hawk helicopters

Today, the Croatian Parliament’s Defence Committee unanimously approved the procurement of eight UH-60M Black Hawk multi-role helicopters.

The Committee’s members came to a unanimous decision to purchase helicopters that substitute Western military technology for that of the East.

After the State Department has made a determination approving a possible foreign military sale to the Government of Croatia of UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters and related equipment and services, the Croatian Parliament’s support of the planned purchase is regarded as the first step in this acquisition process.

“All components of the Croatian Armed Forces must be strengthened, and Western helicopters must be used in lieu of Eastern ones,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Ivan Anušić during the Defence Committee meeting, emphasising that “the acquisition of the Black Hawk helicopters once again confirms the strategic partnership with the U.S. and the commitment of the Croatian Government to further invest in our armed forces.”

A total of 273.8 million dollars will be spent on eight Black Hawk helicopters as part of this transaction. Of the required financial resources, 51 percent came from the 139.4 million dollars that the U.S. Government contributed. The Ministry of Defence will provide the remaining sum throughout the three-year budgetary window that runs from 2025 to 2027.

The eight Black Hawks should be delivered by 2028.

In 2018, the UH-60 M Black Hawk multi-role helicopter project was initiated with the goal of equipping Western-made helicopters to replace Eastern-made Mi-8/17 helicopters.

The first four Black Hawks were delivered in 2022, and their acquisition was structured so that the Croatian Ministry of Defence purchased two of the helicopters while the U.S. Government funded the other two.