Argentina agrees with the US to purchase UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters for its Army.

As part of his visit to the United States and within the framework of bilateral talks between the respective Defence ministries, Argentina has now agreed to move forward with the acquisition of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to equip the Argentine Army. The development was reported moments ago following a meeting between Argentina’s Defence Minister, Lieutenant General Carlos Presti, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for National Defence and Security in the Americas, Joseph M. Humire, and the National Security Council’s (NSC) Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Michael Jensen.

According to the Defence Ministry’s social media post, during the “… meeting, they discussed the incorporation of defence systems that help to protect our resources and critical infrastructure, which are key to safeguarding the country’s future, and the development of multi-domain capabilities, such as cyber defence”.

On planned equipment additions, it also stated: “It was agreed to increase the number of Stryker armoured vehicles and to incorporate Black Hawk helicopters, a qualitative leap that strengthens national resilience. The role of the P-3 Orion aircraft in monitoring our resources was also highlighted, as well as the need to consolidate naval capabilities that ensure sovereignty at sea. In addition, they reviewed the progress of the F-16 project and its operational impact for Argentina and the region”.

This confirmation is long awaited by the Army Aviation Directorate, which for years has been projecting and planning the introduction of a new platform to replace the current Bell UH-1H Huey/Huey II helicopters, which collectively have a lengthy and distinguished 50-year service record.

It is also worth noting that a procurement tender was previously launched towards the end of 2024, setting out the purchase of three S-70/UH-60 Black Hawk aircraft. That process was cancelled in early 2025 due to budget constraints and the reallocation of funding lines.

Even so, as Lieutenant General Presti told Zona Militar in 2025-before his appointment to lead the Edificio Libertador-the Army continued to assess and weigh up alternatives in order to “…inoculate seeds of innovation into a larger structure such as Army Aviation, which has dozens of Huey and Huey II helicopters… The Army lost, more than 40 years ago now, the capability it once had for medium and heavy helicopters. The Chinooks were left behind in 1982 in the Falklands and it was never recovered…”.

Finally, despite the announcement, no further details have been released regarding how the helicopters will be acquired, nor has there been confirmation of which Black Hawk variant the United States might supply. Speculation has centred on Lima-model airframes that are expected to be retired from US Army service in the near term.