Ukraine is currently looking for opportunities to acquire additional UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters. At the same time, their manufacturer, Sikorsky, is seeking to establish production in Europe for the next-generation rotorcraft intended to eventually replace the Black Hawk across NATO.
According to Sikorsky's parent company, Lockheed Martin, the effort is tied to NATO's Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) program. Participating nations include France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Canada, while the United States and Spain currently participate as observers. The initiative aims to develop a new medium-lift multirole helicopter to replace several existing rotorcraft types operated by NATO members.
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Sikorsky says it is evaluating multiple airframe configurations and developing an open-architecture avionics suite. The company also plans to work closely with European industry by involving local suppliers and transferring selected technologies to manufacturers in Europe.
Alongside its European efforts, Sikorsky is also pursuing an international version of its X2 technology in cooperation with partners across Asia. Beyond marketing the aircraft in the region, the company says it intends to incorporate local industrial expertise into the development process.
Defense Express notes that this is not the first time Sikorsky has proposed manufacturing its next-generation rotorcraft in Europe. The company's NGRC offering is expected to build on technologies developed for the Sikorsky S-97 Raider, whose larger derivative, the Defiant X, lost the U.S. Army's Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition to Bell's V-280 Valor tiltrotor.
The NATO competition, however, is separate from the U.S. Army program, giving Sikorsky another opportunity to promote its design. The company also benefits from the fact that UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk helicopters are already produced in Poland, providing both an established industrial base and relevant manufacturing experience in Europe.
Sikorsky will face strong competition in the NGRC program from Airbus, Europe's largest helicopter manufacturer, and Bell, which can offer commonality with the V-280 Valor selected by the U.S. Army. Given the strengths of all three competitors, predicting the eventual winner remains difficult.
Earlier, the Army Aviation branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that it wants the UH-60 Black Hawk to become its primary multirole helicopter. If Sikorsky ultimately wins the NATO competition, it is therefore possible that the company's next-generation rotorcraft could one day also enter Ukrainian service.
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