The Austrian Armed Forces have been using S-20 "Black Hawk" helicopters for around 70 years. On this occasion, a ceremony took place on Monday at the Brumowski air base in Langenlebarn in the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner (ÖVP).

“The impressive performance record of the Black Hawk fleet shows how important mobility in the airspace is for our troops. I am particularly pleased that the 'Black Hawk' has been a successful model for 20 years - and that it is also particularly safe. I would like to thank all pilots, technicians and everyone who works in the 'Black Hawk' system for their reliable and high-precision work. We can all be very proud of that! I am also pleased that we have been able to keep up to date with the necessary modernization of our 'Black Hawk' helicopters. With the purchase of the Leonardo AW169 and the availability of the first helicopter in 2022, two state-of-the-art helicopter types will ideally complement each other for Austria's security," said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.

On September 21, 2002, the first flight of a Bundesheer "Black Hawk" took place in Austria. Since then, the machines of the Austrian Armed Forces have flown around 30.000 hours and transported around 250.000 passengers and 27.000 tons of freight. The "Black Hawk" has proven itself as a powerful and reliable helicopter in numerous operations at home and abroad, most recently when fighting forest fires in Hirschwang an der Rax. All Austrian S-70 "Black Hawk" are stationed at the Brumowski air host in Langenlebarn. The Austrian "Black Hawks" are currently being modernized. The complete avionics system of the helicopter will be brought up to date. Three machines have already been modernized and are fully operational again, the remaining six helicopters will be gradually updated until 2024. Three more S-70 "Black Hawk" are currently in the pipeline and are also being modernized. By 2025, the "Black Hawk" squadron in Langenlebarn will be expanded to twelve machines.

The S-70 "Black Hawk" is a multi-role helicopter with two engines, each producing 1.940 hp. This drive gives the helicopter excellent high-mountain suitability. The helicopter, which is used successfully in 24 countries worldwide, offers its occupants a high level of protection and safety (crash resistance) and is characterized by low personnel and maintenance costs. Its transport capacity is 20 people or enough to transport four tons of payload. It reaches a maximum speed of 360 km/h and the maximum altitude is around 6.000 meters. The "Black Hawk" has a range of about 500 kilometers, which can be extended to about 1.600 kilometers or about 4,5 continuous flight hours with externally attachable additional tanks.