Sikorsky has received a four-year contract from the Brazilian Air Force (BAF) to provide logistics support for the service’s 16 UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters.
According to a July 27 release from Sikorsky owner Lockheed Martin, the contract will improve fleet sustainment resulting from local storage of commonly required spare parts, assistance from a regional Sikorsky field service technician, and technical support from Sikorsky Engineering.
The BAF contract is modelled after a multi-year logistics support agreement between Sikorsky and the Brazilian Army. In 2019, after previous agreements with the Brazilian Army, the flight availability rate of the service’s four S-70A (UH-60L equivalent) Black Hawk aircraft reached a 100% readiness.
Felipe Benvegnu, director of Sikorsky sustainment business development, said local storage of spare parts will eliminate long lead times for material that would keep an aircraft on the ground.
"Close collaboration with Sikorsky engineers, whether virtual or in person, also will help the Brazilian Air Force maintainers improve the readiness rates of these utility aircraft for important missions, such as search and rescue," Benvegnu added.
