UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters, one of which was shot down over Iraq late Wednesday, have been used to ferry troops into battle, extract them under fire, chase drug traffickers in the jungles of Colombia and fly peacekeeping missions in Somalia.

Produced by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation, the Black Hawk is designed to carry 11 air assault troops in full battle gear and is capable of moving a 105-millimeter howitzer with 30 rounds of ammunition.

First deployed in 1978, the Black Hawk is now equipped with advanced technology that makes it easy to maintain in the field and use on a wide variety of missions, including combat support, special operations, electronic warfare, artillery support, medivac and logistics.

Its twin-turbine engine can deliver a maximum speed of 250 kilometersmiles) an hour, with a range exceeding 580 kilometers (360 miles).

It can be equipped with door machineguns, Hellfire anti-tank missiles, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and other ordnance.

According to Sikorsky, the US Army now has more than 1,500 Black Hawks, used by active duty and National Guard units around the world.

The orginal Black Hawk evolved into a wide range of derivatives, including EH-60A electronic warfare aircraft, MH-60K special oerations aircraft, the VH-60 executive transport helicopter, the US Air Force's HH-60G Pave Hawk, the US Navy's Seahawk and the US Coast Guard's HH-60J Jayhawk for search and rescue.

SPACE.WIRE