The inaugural European UH-60 User Forum, hosted in Slovakia and organized by Česká letecká servisní a.s. (ČLS) — a member of the Helicopter Alliance — brought together military operators, industry partners, and defence representatives from 11 nations to strengthen cooperation across Europe’s Black Hawk community.
Held with consultation and endorsement from Sikorsky, the event marked a significant step toward structured collaboration among European UH-60 operators. Over 50 participants and two remote speakers (including OEM representative Robert Mathers) contributed to a two-day program of expert-led discussions, hands-on demonstrations, and peer exchange.
From Sovereignty to Synergy: Shared Challenges, Shared Ambitions
The general consensus among participating air force representatives was clear: Europe needs an expanded framework for cooperation among all nations operating UH-60 helicopters.
Countries increasingly recognize the value of aligning standards and procedures to simplify bureaucratic barriers in training, maintenance, and operations. A harmonized approach, participants agreed, would also streamline joint procurement, equipment upgrades, and the certification of mission-specific modifications.
Discussions highlighted a key structural difference between U.S. and European UH-60 operations.
While the U.S. Army manages dozens of aircraft variants, each tailored to distinct mission types, European operators typically possess only a handful of helicopters — fleets measured in single digits. These aircraft must therefore serve multiple operational roles, often switching between configurations such as weaponized, SAR, or medical evacuation.
This reality underscores Europe’s growing need for multi-role adaptability and rapid reconfiguration capabilities. Participants agreed that such flexibility could be most effectively developed and certified in cooperation with local and regional industry partners — particularly through entities such as Česká letecká servisní (ČLS) and the Helicopter Alliance, which together cover the full helicopter lifecycle, from maintenance and modernization to mission adaptation and training.
A Platform for Practical Cooperation
The forum’s format replaced traditional presentations with interactive panel discussions, allowing participants to shape the dialogue through a live event app.
Moderated panels covered five thematic pillars:
Sovereignty vs. Synergy: Global Defense Procurement — exploring how government-to-government (GtG) and direct commercial sales (DCS) models shape capability development and international cooperation.
Optimizing Rotary-Wing Readiness: Next-Generation Maintenance Frameworks — identifying innovative maintenance strategies leveraging technology and cross-border expertise.
Aligning the Skies: Developing Multinational Rotorcraft Teams — addressing interoperability through unified training programs and multinational deployments.
Protecting the Skies: Enhancing Helicopter Communications — focusing on cybersecurity, encryption, and secure data exchange in rotary operations.
Enhancing Rotorcraft Capabilities and Survivability — examining survivability upgrades, modular armament options, and mission flexibility.
An on-site UH-60L Black Hawk displayed by Heli Company (part of the Slovak Training Academy, also under the Helicopter Alliance) complemented the expert sessions with a hands-on demonstration of operational configurations and mission kits.
Lessons Learned and Shared Experience
The diversity of participating nations — from seasoned operators like Sweden, which currently flies 15 UH-60M (Hkp16) and plans to expand its fleet by another 12 aircraft, to newer users such as Albania and the Baltic states — brought a valuable mix of experience and perspective.
Sweden’s contributions, built on years of deployment experience and variable mission setups, inspired open discussions on how smaller air forces can benefit from shared know-how and scalable support structures.
Veteran nations shared lessons learned from multinational missions, while emerging users discussed fleet expansion, training pathways, and certification challenges.
Despite initial uncertainty surrounding this “zero edition,” participants widely praised the event’s open and constructive atmosphere. Many expressed strong interest in continuing the forum as an annual platform for operational and technical dialogue, with proposed additions such as deeper maintenance sessions, supply-chain cooperation, and joint modernization planning.
Leadership and Support
The event opened with keynote addresses by Monika Kowalczyková (CEO, Česká letecká servisní a.s.) and Jonathan Castorena (VP Business Development, Helicopter Alliance), emphasizing the importance of trust-based cooperationbetween operators and industry.
The closing remarks were delivered by Major General Michael Križanec, Commander of the Croatian Air Force, who summarized the forum’s message succinctly:
“Each nation brings unique experience — together, we build collective strength and resilience.”
Toward a Common European Black Hawk Framework
As European air forces continue to modernize and diversify their helicopter fleets, the need for joint standards, interoperable systems, and shared training concepts becomes increasingly urgent.
The European UH-60 User Forum 2025 laid the foundation for precisely that — a practical, evolving network of operators and industry experts aligned on operational realities rather than theoretical policies.
Whether through harmonized certification approaches, shared logistics solutions, or regionally tailored mission variants, participants agreed that collaboration — not competition — is the key to sustainable capability development.
By the end of the event, one message stood out clearly:
Europe’s Black Hawk users are ready to move from dialogue to coordinated action.
By: Katerina Urbanová, EIC @ ACE
Event organized by Česká letecká servisní a.s., member of Helicopter Alliance, with consultation and endorsement from Sikorsky. Sponsors included The Protective Group, L3Harris–Wescam, and Smith Myers.
Photos: courtesy of Česká letecká servisní a.s.
