It has been known for many months that Ukraine is negotiating an order with Bell for multirole and attack helicopters, with localised production. That trajectory has now been called into question, as it emerges that Ukrainian Army Aviation sees the UH-60 Black Hawk as the foundation of its future fleet.
The two options are not necessarily mutually exclusive, however, and both could theoretically be pursued simultaneously.
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The Ukrainian military's preference is understandable. Black Hawk is produced in large numbers, widely used around the world, and already operated by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence directorate. Bell's offerings, by contrast, are new-build aircraft that will take time to produce.
Based on currently available information, the multirole role could be filled primarily by used UH-60s upgraded to Ukrainian operational requirements. These could reach the Armed Forces sooner and offer somewhat greater payload capacity.
New-build UH-1Y Venoms, meanwhile, would be localised in Ukraine meaning deliveries could begin later, but with the potential involvement of Ukrainian industry through localisation, for which Bell Textron Ukraine has already been established. The result would be a mixed fleet of new and used multirole helicopters a difference of sorts alongside a boost to domestic defense industry capacity.
For the attack helicopter role, no potential alternatives have been named, meaning the AH-1Z Viper acquisition remains relevant for this niche. Although the utility of attack helicopters for direct fire support of ground units is currently very limited, such platforms could contribute to shooting down russian drones as demonstrated by the Czech aircraft deployed to Poland. High commonality with the Venom has also been cited as an advantage.
The mixed-fleet approach carries significant drawbacks, however. Operating multiple helicopter types means separate supply chains, separate training programmes, and greater operational complexity all of which bring additional costs on top of the already considerable expense of procuring aircraft under two separate programmes.
One option would be to build a fleet around the Black Hawk as the multirole platform and the Viper as the attack helicopter. This would not offer the same commonality benefits as a Venom-Viper pairing, but it would address both of Army Aviation's requirements.
The financial dimension should also not be overlooked. How a potential Bell order would be funded remains unclear, given Ukraine's constrained budget and the limitations of European support programmes.
No final decision on the composition of Army Aviation's future fleet is known at this stage. It is to be hoped that working with partners will allow the best possible option to be identified and implemented to strengthen Ukraine's Armed Forces.
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