A Czech holding company is refurbishing and modernising the well-known Black Hawk helicopters

The legendary UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters need no introduction. This American multi-purpose helicopter is in service with many armed forces around the world. In the Czech Republic, there is a holding company called Helicopter Alliance, whose subsidiaries specialise in providing comprehensive operational support and modernisation services for these very helicopters.

Aleš Kvídera, Investment Director of the Helicopter Alliance group, explains that it is a “formal umbrella organisation for six companies, two of which are from America, one from the Czech Republic and three from Slovakia.” The most important is Ace Aeronautics in Alabama, from where they purchase older models of the aircraft.

Purchase and modernisation

The helicopters undergo a comprehensive PMI (Phase Maintenance Inspection), after which they are repaired and modernised according to customer requirements. The key solution is Ace’s own digital cockpit, the Ace Deck VL-60, which is based on the Garmin G5000H system and brings older analogue aircraft up to the standard of the glass cockpits found in the latest helicopters.

Reference projects

The main reference project is for the Austrian Army – the modernisation of 9 UH-60 Black Hawks, of which seven have already been completed. Other partners include Portugal and Ukraine. The Czech Republic uses the helicopters for firefighting missions, with the aircraft operating from two bases – in Mělník and Přerov.

The future of the holding

The aim is to establish a presence in the Central European defence market and expand operations into Latin America and the Far East. The company plans to obtain all necessary authorisations for every version of the Black Hawk currently on the market.