WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of State has approved a possible $140 million Foreign Military Sale to Argentina covering four refurbished UH-60L Black Hawk utility helicopters and associated equipment. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) notified Congress of the proposed sale on September 10 under Transmittal No. 26-79.
If finalized, the deal would give the Argentine Army its first Black Hawk helicopters and support the replacement of its aging Bell UH-1H Huey fleet.
Equipment and Support
Argentina has requested four UH-60Ls and two General Electric T700-GE-701D engines. The package includes attitude heading reference systems, APX-100 and APX-123 Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) transponders, navigation and instrument landing system receivers, automatic direction finder receivers, AN/ARC-220 high-frequency radios and ARC-186 very-high-frequency radios.
It also includes Garmin GTN-750 GPS systems, Cobham C-5000 multiband radios, EBC 406HM emergency locator transmitters, internal auxiliary fuel tanks, fast-rope insertion and extraction systems, rescue hoists, cargo hooks and Bambi buckets.
Maintenance and aircrew training devices and software, helmets, transportation, organizational equipment, spare and repair parts, support equipment, tools, test equipment, technical data and publications, personnel training, and U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical and logistics support are also included.
Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company based in Stratford, Connecticut, is the principal contractor. The U.S. government said no offset agreement is currently known and that the sale would not require additional U.S. government or contractor personnel in Argentina. It would also have no adverse impact on U.S. defense readiness.
The State Department said the proposed sale would strengthen Argentina's ability to conduct border security, counter-transnational crime, and humanitarian assistance and disaster-response missions. It also said the sale would not change the basic military balance in the region.
Replacement for Argentina's Hueys
Around 50 UH-1Hs remain in the Argentine Army inventory. The service first launched a tender in December 2024 for three used UH-60s, but canceled it in January 2025 because of budget constraints.
In June 2026, Argentine Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Oscar Santiago Zarich indicated that the service would acquire an initial four Black Hawks still in U.S. service, with plans to expand the fleet over time.
Argentina already has experience with the Black Hawk. A single VIP-configured aircraft has operated in the presidential fleet since 1994 and was transferred to the Argentine Air Force in 2024. The Army itself has not previously operated the type.
Part of Wider Military Modernization
The UH-60L is an earlier model than the UH-60M currently produced for the U.S. Army and many foreign customers. Sikorsky offers modernization programs for older UH-60Ls, including digital cockpit and avionics upgrades, providing a possible future upgrade path for Argentina.
The helicopter acquisition is part of Argentina's wider military modernization program, which also includes 24 surplus F-16s from Denmark and four P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from Norway.
The $140 million figure is the estimated value of the potential sale, not a finalized contract price. The final cost could be lower depending on the equipment and services ultimately purchased. No delivery schedule has been set, and Argentina and the U.S. still need to complete negotiations and finalize the Letter of Offer and Acceptance.
U.S. Ambassador to Argentina Peter Lamelas said the helicopters would be refurbished and delivered in stages.
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