Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs signed a four-year framework agreement with PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company, that will lead to the procurement of up to 12 new-generation Black Hawk utility helicopters, manufactured in Poland and delivered in partnership with Romaero and Deltamed.

This exclusive agreement with PZL Mielec, for the supply of medium/heavy maritime and land helicopters, enables Romania’s General Inspectorate of Aviation (IGAv) to order batches of aircraft from the Polish factory during a four-year period. The helicopters will be configured for either land or maritime operations

“Selection of new Polish-built Black Hawks will establish a strong industrial link between our manufacturing facility in south-east Poland and Romania,” said Janusz Zakrecki, president and general director PZL Mielec.

“ We thank the Romanian Government for its confidence in the Black Hawk utility helicopter and the skills and capabilities of our Polish workforce in Mielec and its European supply chain partners.”

Designed to demanding military standards, the S-70 Black Hawk helicopter is a dual-use platform that is ideally-suited to perform the demanding long-range and high-altitude missions required by Romania’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. This includes disaster relief, search and rescue, medical transport, external cargo lift, firefighting, and maritime surveillance.

The cabin of both the land and maritime S-70 Black Hawk variants being acquired by Romania will accommodate a medical suite equipped by Cluj-Napoca-based Deltamed, an experienced integrator of emergency vehicles outfitted for patient care and rescue operations.

To ensure high levels of operational availability and keep the new fleet flying, a Black Hawk maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) centre will be established with industry-partner Romaero in Bucharest. This MRO facility will see opportunities for expansion to sustain any additional Black Hawk helicopters ordered by the Romanian Government, whether for military or commercial use, and to support other Black Hawk operators in the region.

In selecting the European-built S-70 Black Hawk, Romania becomes the 11th country and 18th customer for helicopters built by PZL Mielec, a Lockheed Martin company, which is Poland’s largest exporter of defence and aerospace equipment.

With a proud heritage in Europe’s aerospace industry that stretches back more than 80 years, today PZL Mielec is parent company Lockheed Martin’s largest manufacturing facility outside the U.S.