An FMS UH-60M solution does not make sense for the UK, as the Mike is uniquely US Army specific, particularly on the COMM’s front, so the UK would just end up stripping out very expensive hardware and placing it on a shelf marked ‘Not for Use’ to gather dust, before it eventually ends up in a landfill site….or on eBay.
Better to purchase a baseline S-70M, which is cheaper, would also offer better weight margins for additional UK specific options, and also better performance than the 60M in a Baseline configuration side-by-side fly-off.
Regarding previous comments, I don’t see the YT706 as a realistic option, as this is not something Sikorsky offers customers, as it is a post-delivery modification (UH-60M to MH-60M upgrade) installed by LM and unique to the 160th.
The above
PR photo is of an S-70M. The Baseline 70M does not include IRS exhausts or swivel gunner seats, as they are options, so I suspect LMUK are just sticking to the script on any
PR photos.
Shame about the bitching comment, very unprofessional.
Oh, and yes I am well aware that the A series of this model is long gone, especially when the OEM is currently building Mike’s & Whiskey’s.