Chile took delivery of three MH-60M Black Hawk helicopters on August 30. The rotorcraft were officially inducted at the Pudahuel Air Base, in presence of the Chilean Minister of National Defense, Alberto Espina Otero, and the Commander in Chief of the Chilean Air Force, Air General Jorge Robles Mella.

(Credit: Chilean Air Force/Twitter)

The President of Sikorsky, Dan Schultz,  said that the new aircraft acquired by the Chilean Air Force "are a third generation model built according to the strict standards of the United States Army and are descended from the first generation model we built 40 years ago". 

"The founder of our company, Igor Sikorsky, pointed out at the time that he expected the helicopter to be" a unique instrument to save human lives," he added. “His vision came true, because in the last 75 years millions of lives have been saved thanks to helicopters,” he concluded.

Otero, pointed out that this type of aircraft "since joining the Air Force in the 1950s, has been a fundamental resource for Chileans. Since then they have operated on national territory, mainly supporting compatriots affected by the adversities of nature. We can point out that in this way, it has become an essential capacity for the execution of search and rescue operations, which are so repetitive in our country."

Minister Espina congratulated the “Air Force for the work done and at the same time wished the best successes in the operational development of this aircraft and in the fulfillment of its mission, which will guarantee the security and defense for Chile. and the Chileans.”

Chile and Sikorsky signed a contract for the delivery of six S-70i/MH-60M choppers in December 2016. The new helicopters will fulfill Chile’s requirement to perform both military and humanitarian missions, such as troop transport, search and rescue, and disaster relief.